ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Commission: Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the hon. Member for South-West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what payments the Electoral Commission has made to Pagoda Public Relations since 2000; for what services such payments were made; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the contracts for such services.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it contracts Pagoda Public Relations to provide public relations services, primarily the Commission's press office function in Scotland and activity to promote voter registration. Payments since 2000 are detailed in the following table and include figures to the end of December 2009.
	
		
			  Financial year  Spend (£) 
			 2005-06 19,583 
			 2006-07 49,233 
			 2007-08 93,493 
			 2008-09 52,431 
			 2009-10 26,833 
		
	
	Copies of the Commission's contracts with Pagoda Public Relations have been placed in the Library of the House.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council England: Correspondence

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 392W, on museums and galleries: West Bromwich, when he expects the chief executive of Arts Council England to write to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East on the matter of PricewaterhouseCoopers;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 392W, on museums and galleries: West Bromwich, when he expects the chief executive of Arts Council England to write to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East on the matter of the Capital Projects Board;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 389W, on Arts Council England: consultants, when he expects the chief executive of Arts Council England to write to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East;
	(4)  pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 391-92W, on museums and galleries: West Bromwich, when he expects the Chief Executive of Arts Council England to write to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East on the matter of Moss Cooper;
	(5)  pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 386W, on Arts Council England: hospitality, when he expects the chief executive of Arts Council England to write to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East;
	(6)  pursuant to the answer of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 36W, on Arts Council England: advertising, when he expects the chief executive of Arts Council England to write to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East.

Margaret Hodge: The chief executive of Arts Council England will write shortly. Copies of the response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Arts Council: Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Arts Council spent on external public relations in each of the last five years; and what external public relations contracts it has placed for tender.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is not held by my Department and relates to matters that are the responsibility of Arts Council England.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to write direct to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Arts: Economic Situation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his latest assessment is of the effects on the arts industries of the recession.

Margaret Hodge: The picture across the sector is mixed, but many organisations have performed excellently in tough economic conditions. London theatres demonstrated very positive returns for 2009, in large measure attributable to the excellent quality of the artistic product.
	There are concerns over a decrease in business investment and in income from charitable trusts and foundations. To mitigate this, Arts Council England's sustain fund has made awards totalling £41 million to support 135 arts organisations through the recession. Government support including the Future Jobs Fund and funding for creative use of empty retail space, also supported by Arts Council Lottery funding, is significant in limiting the impact of this shortfall.
	Local authorities will determine funding priorities according to local circumstance but I am confident that enlightened councils will continue to support the arts in recognition of their value and importance to local communities across the country.

Arts: Redundancy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his latest estimate is of the number of jobs in the arts industries lost as a consequence of the recession.

Margaret Hodge: My Department does not hold information on the number of jobs lost in the arts industries as a consequence of the recession.

Arts: Young People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on  (a) theatre,  (b) opera,  (c) musical and  (d) film tickets for young people since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: The provision of tickets for young people to attend  (a) theatre,  (b) opera and  (c) musicals is part of the 'A Night Less Ordinary' scheme which, in its first nine months, gave around 122,000 free tickets to young people. The scheme, launched in February 2009 and implemented by Arts Council England, costs £2.5million and is financed by my Department via additional capital grant in aid in 2009-10.  (d) There are no current schemes offering free film tickets to young people.

Libraries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on programmes related to libraries in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Stevenage (Barbara Follett) to the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) on 21 October 2008,  Official Report, column 244W.
	Further to this answer DCMS grant in aid funding for the British Library from 2007 to date was:
	
		
			  British Library funding, incorporating resource and capital grant in aid 
			  Financial Year  £000 
			 2007-08 106,480 
			 2008-09 106,974 
		
	
	The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) provide funding in support of particular projects and programmes. The funding provided since 2007 was:
	
		
			  MLA support for public libraries 
			  Financial Year  £000 
			 2007-08 873 
			 2008-09 424.5 
		
	
	In addition in 2007 £80 million has been allocated to public libraries by the Big Lottery Fund for the Community Libraries Programme.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has policy responsibility for public libraries but core funding for public libraries is paid to the 151 library authorities in England as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, administered by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Local authorities' net current expenditure on public libraries, as advised by DCLG, was:
	
		
			  Net current expenditure (public libraries, England) 
			  Financial Year  £000 
			 2007-08 908,486 
			 2008-09 1,003,988

Museums and Galleries: Domestic Visits

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many times a Minister in his Department has visited the  (a) British Museum,  (b) Natural History Museum and  (c) Science Museum on official duties in the last 12 months.

Margaret Hodge: Ministers from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have visited the British Museum four times, the Natural History Museum eight times and the Science Museum once, on official duties in the last 12 months.

Passports

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many free passports have been issued under the Heroes Return scheme to residents of  (a) Cleethorpes constituency,  (b) North East Lincolnshire local authority area and  (c) North Lincolnshire local authority area in each year since such passports were introduced.

Si�n Simon: The free passport scheme is a matter for the Home Office.
	The Heroes Return initiative is run by the Big Lottery Fund which allows world war two veterans from the UK, Channel Islands and Republic of Ireland to apply for travel and accommodation costs to visit the places where they saw active service. They can also receive funding to take part in an official commemoration in the UK.

Public Libraries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his most recent estimate is of the average number of people in each age group who use a local library each month.

Margaret Hodge: The DCMS Taking Part survey records the proportion of the population in each age group who use libraries each year and the latest data is presented in the table. Taking Part cannot provide monthly data or the average number of people in each age group who use a local library.
	
		
			  October 2008 to September 2009 
			  Age group (five bands)  Percentage 
			 16-24 34.8 
			 25-44 40.3 
			 45-64 38.8 
			 65-74 40.3 
			 75+ 34.4 
			 Total 38.5

Public Libraries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage the use of public libraries.

Margaret Hodge: The Government's consultation on the public library service closed on 26 January and a policy statement is expected to report in the spring. It will set out the Government's vision for a modern, world class public library service and the necessary steps to achieve this vision.
	There are a significant number of programmes funded by Government Departments, sponsored organisations and third sector partners which promote the increased use of public libraries: these include Bookstart, Book Ahead, Boys into Books, the Summer Reading Challenge, Booked Up, Fulfilling their Potential and the Vital Link.
	The BIG Lottery Fund's £80 million Community Libraries Programme is an investment across England to improve community learning opportunities through libraries. Part of this is offering the types of opportunities essential to the delivery of modern library services, including, learning activities to attract new library users such as reading groups, writing groups, language classes, family learning activities, art and museum exhibitions, cultural activities, drama, information seminars and health initiatives.

Royal Parks: Parking

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2010,  Official Report, column 1042W, on Royal Parks: parking, when he plans to lay the statutory instruments required to implement parking charges in Bushy and Richmond parks.

Margaret Hodge: The statutory instrument required to implement parking charges in Bushy and Richmond Parks was laid on 1 February.

Television: Licensing

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many free television licences have been issued to residents of  (a) Cleethorpes constituency,  (b) North East Lincolnshire local authority area and  (c) North Lincolnshire local authority area in each year since such licences were introduced.

Si�n Simon: My Department does not hold the information. Free television licences for people aged 75 or over are issued by TV Licensing as agents for the BBC. This is therefore a matter for the BBC.
	I understand that the BBC does not break down the distribution of free licences by reference to parliamentary constituency or local authority area.

Television: Licensing

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many discounted television licences have been issued to blind and sight-impaired people resident in  (a) Cleethorpes constituency,  (b) North East Lincolnshire local authority area and  (c) North Lincolnshire local authority area in each year since such licences were introduced.

Si�n Simon: My Department does not hold the information. Discounted television licences are administered for the blind and partly-sighted by TV Licensing as agents for the BBC. This is therefore a matter for the BBC.
	I understand that the BBC does not break down the distribution of free licences by reference to parliamentary constituency or local authority area.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Fuel Oil: Safety

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of EU regulations on the sulphur content of oil used in Aga ovens; and what assessment has been made of the costs of these regulations to owners of Agas.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	The Sulphur Content of Liquid Fuels Directive (1999/32/EC as amended) aims to reduce air pollution by limiting sulphur dioxide emissions that can cause acid rain. The directive specifies that from January 2008 no person may use gas oil (which includes oil for domestic heating purposes) with a sulphur content greater than 0.1 per cent.
	The Government have made no assessment of the effectiveness of this fuel in Aga ovens, nor the costs to Aga owners.

Fuel Poverty: Stroud

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in Stroud constituency were in fuel poverty in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2003 and  (c) 2009.

David Kidney: The most recently available sub-regional split of fuel poverty relates to 2006, and shows that there were around 4,200 fuel poor households in the Stroud constituency. In 2003 there were around 2,600 fuel poor households in the Stroud constituency. Figures prior to 2003 are not available.
	The methodology used for the 2006 work differs from that previously used, so care should be taken in comparing the fuel poverty levels in one area between 2003 and 2006.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Crisis Loans

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the amount spent by her Department on crisis loans on each day in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009.

Helen Goodman: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Crisis loans in Great Britain in 2008 and 2009 
			  £ million 
			  Calendar year  Average gross expenditure per working day  Average recoveries per working day  Average net expenditure per working day 
			 2008 0.59 0.30 0.29 
			 2009 0.87 0.44 0.43 
			  Note: The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using official/National Statistics but in this case we only have management information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System.  Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Departmental Buildings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to Ministers in her Department's buildings in the last 12 months.

Yvette Cooper: Expenditure in respect of new works, refurbishments and planned maintenance to Ministers' offices in the last year was £19,223.85.

Post Office Card Account

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations her Department has received on the use of automated tiller machines (ATMs) other than Bank of Ireland ATMs to access Post Office card accounts.

Helen Goodman: The Department has received representations about this from LINK.

Social Security Benefits: Ex-servicemen

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (War Pension Disregard) (Amendment) Regulations 2009, (SI 2009 No. 3389), if she will take steps to ensure that local authorities disregard service attributable pensions in considering eligibility for housing and council tax benefit.

Helen Goodman: A mandatory £10 disregard of income from war pensions (war disablement pension, a pension to a war widow or war widower or a similar pension paid to a surviving civil partner), applies in the calculation of entitlement to housing benefit and council tax benefit. In addition, local authorities have discretionary powers to disregard some or all of income from war pensions, including service attributable pensions, once the mandatory disregard of £10.00 has been made. It is a matter for each authority to decide the extent to which they apply the additional disregard. We have recently issued guidance clarifying that service attributable pensions fall to be disregarded under the discretionary powers.

State Retirement Pensions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations her Department has received on the restoration of the link between salaries and pensions.

Angela Eagle: The Department has received a number of representations on restoring the earnings link to the basic state pension.
	The basic state pension will increase in line with earnings, rather than prices, in the future. The exact date from which this will start has yet to be fixed, but it is expected to happen from 2012, or by the end of the next Parliament at the latest.

Winter Fuel Payments

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations her Department has received on expanding the age range for eligibility for winter fuel payments.

Angela Eagle: The Department has not received any formal representations on the changing of the age range related to eligibility for winter fuel payments.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Sustainable Fisheries

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs What steps he plans to take to encourage sustainable fisheries.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK's response to the Commission's Green Paper on reform of the Common Fisheries Policy states that to achieve the effective, sustainable exploitation of fish stocks, the EU must set itself a series of more challenging objectives. We shall seek to persuade the Commission to look beyond the world summit on sustainable development commitment to fish stocks at maximum sustainable yield and deliver a mechanism which optimises the renewable wealth of marine fish resources.

Biodiversity

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress his Department has made towards meeting its 2010 biodiversity targets; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We have continued to make progress on our biodiversity priorities. For example, nearly 91 per cent. of Sites of Special Scientific Interest are now in favourable or recovering condition; we have a Marine and Coastal Access Act which will ensure productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas; and internationally we continue to support a wide range of conservation projects through our Darwin initiative.

International Whaling Commission

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what objectives he has set for the outcomes of the inter-sessional meeting of the International Whaling Commission in March 2010.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The agenda for the forthcoming inter-sessional meeting of the International Whaling Commission is yet to be announced and a report by the Chair on reform discussions has not yet been produced, therefore I am unable to comment in detail.
	I can reassure you that we will continue to strive to ensure long-term protection and conservation of whale populations worldwide. The UK Government will not agree to any proposals which increase risk to future whale populations.

Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will set out, with statistical information as closely related to Chorley constituency as possible, the effect on that constituency of the policies of his Department and its predecessor since 1997.

Dan Norris: Due to the broad nature of the question and the wide range of DEFRA policies implemented in Chorley, it is not possible to provide a detailed answer in the form requested.
	As a local authority, Chorley is obliged through statute to comply with central Government legislation. DEFRA's policy responsibilities are summarised in its departmental strategic objectives (DSOs) that have been agreed with the Treasury:
	To promote a society that is adapting to the effects of climate change, through a national programme of action and a contribution to international action.
	To promote a healthy, resilient, productive and diverse natural environment.
	To promote sustainable, low carbon and resource efficient patterns of consumption and production.
	To promote an economy and a society that are resilient to environmental risk.
	To champion sustainable development.
	To promote a thriving farming and food sector with an improving net environmental impact.
	To encourage a sustainable, secure and healthy food supply.
	To provide socially and economically sustainable rural communities.
	To be a respected Department delivering efficient and high quality services and outcomes.
	DEFRA publishes annual departmental reports which set out progress against its public service agreement targets and DSOs. The 2009 report is available at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/how/deprep/2009-report.htm.
	Past reports are available online in the National Archives.
	For information on a specific DEFRA policy in Chorley, the Government office for the north-east is able to provide information on implementation and the benefits to the area.

Departmental Advertising

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what advertising campaigns his Department has been responsible in each of the last three years; which such campaigns have  (a) commenced and  (b) continued in 2009-10 to date; and what the total cost of each such campaign has been.

Dan Norris: Since the beginning of the current financial year DEFRA has spent around £2 million on campaign advertising. This was primarily on campaigns for conservation volunteering, water saving, waste and resource efficiency. A further £23,841 was spent on advertising vacancies within the same time period.
	Spend covering the previous two years is outlined as follows:
	
		
			  2008-09 
			   Cost (£) 
			 Act On CO2(1) 12,185,373 
			 Resource Efficiency 521,584 
			 Reach Communications 137,949 
			 Miscellaneous 38,905 
			 DEFRA WATO 14,671 
			 Eco-labelling 9,245 
			 DEFRA Conservation Volunteering 12,200 
			 Recruitment Advertising 26,727 
			 Total 12,946,653 
		
	
	
		
			  2007-08 
			   Cost (£) 
			 Climate Change-Citizen and Public Engagement Project 4,491,921 
			 Miscellaneous 115,777 
			 Communications (Pre-Registration Stage) 127,660 
			 Climate Challenge 650,307 
			 Animal Disease Prevention Campaign 40,000 
			 DEFRA WATO Announcement Ad 14,372 
			 Eco-labelling 12,989 
			 Catering Insertion 6,976 
			 Nature Magazine Insertion 6,630 
			 Sheep and Goats Identification 3,460 
			 Greener Living Pages 8,684 
			 Act On CO2(1) 695,497 
			 Recruitment Advertising 11,704 
			 Total 6,185,977 
			 (1 )Funded by DEFRA and DfT-DEFRA share shown above.

Departmental Compensation

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the adequacy of the level of consolatory payments made by his Department.

Jim Fitzpatrick: As agreed at the Public Administration Select Committee meeting on 28 January, further discussions will be held between DEFRA and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on a range of customer service and redress issues affecting the Rural Payments Agency.

Departmental Empty Property

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 63W, on departmental buildings, what the  (a) book value and  (b) estimated annual rental value is of vacant residential properties owned by his Department.

Dan Norris: The Department's empty residential property, which had been vacant in excess of six months as cited on 5 January,  Official Report, column 63W, has a combined book value of £87,000 and combined potential annual rental value of £18,000.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) mobile telephones and  (b) Blackberrys have been provided to (i) Ministers and (ii) special advisers in his Department since March 2009; and at what cost to the public purse.

Dan Norris: DEFRA procures BlackBerry services and mobile phones via two different arrangements.
	1. In the case of BlackBerry services, these are provided through the IBM contract. The cost to the Department since 1 February 2009 to 31 January 2010 is:
	
		
			   Number  Cost (£) 
			 Ministers 3 831.06 
			 Special advisors 2 587.86 
		
	
	2. In the case of mobile phones, these are purchased via OGC's Mobile Solutions contract. The cost to the Department since 1 February 2009 is:
	
		
			   Number  Cost (£) 
			 Minister 1 776.80

Departmental Public Consultation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many citizen juries or summits have been hosted by his Department since October 2008; on what date each event took place; and which Ministers were present at each event.

Dan Norris: holding answer 14 January 2010
	The Department has not held any citizen juries or summits since October 2008.

Detergents: Phosphorus

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to phase-out phosphorus in domestic laundry cleaning products; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: We are proposing to limit phosphate content in domestic laundry cleaning products by revising the Detergents Regulations 2005. DEFRA has consulted twice on this subject-first in February 2008 when we consulted the public on the principal of a limitation, and then in January 2010 on draft regulations detailing the mechanism for achieving it. The proposals are for a limitation of phosphate content in domestic laundry cleaning products by 2015.

Farms

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of farms in the UK under five hectares in size.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA only holds data on farms in England. The most recent 2008 data on the numbers of agricultural holdings in England with less than five hectares are shown in the following table. The 2009 data will be available mid-February 2010 on the DEFRA website.
	
		
			  2008 
			   Number 
			 Holdings with less than five hectares of farmed area 80,688 
			 Holdings with unknown activity (recorded as zero area)(1) 14,426 
			 Holdings 5 ha total 95,084 
			 (1) These are holdings which are registered with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) but we nave not yet obtained any information on their levels of farming activity. These holdings are stored on the statistical register but with a zero farmed area. The numbers are shown here for completeness.  Source: June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture

Local Government Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 22 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1645W, on local government finance, what data sets not contained in the national indicator set local authorities are required to submit to  (a) the Environment Agency and  (b) his Department.

Dan Norris: DEFRA and the Environment Agency do not hold a central register of information and datasets collected from local authorities. To produce a definitive list of such collections would involve disproportionate cost.

Nature Conservation: Crime

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce the level of wildlife crime.

Dan Norris: Government are working to reduce wildlife crime by supporting the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime; funding the National Wildlife Crime Unit; chairing the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking; and through our commitment to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

North East Sustainable Resources Board

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the role is of the new North East Sustainable Resources Board; how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to it; and in what other Government office regions such a board has been  (a) established and  (b) proposed.

Dan Norris: The North East Sustainable Resources Board is a public-private partnership set up by the North East Region to provide effective leadership across all sectors to deliver recycling and waste policies in the Regional Strategy. It is supported by a cross-sector Stakeholder Group that advises the Board and assists with delivery. The Stakeholder Group includes a number of regional government bodies, including the Government Office for the North East on behalf of DEFRA, as well as relevant private and third sector organisations. The Board itself met for the first time on 11 January 2010.
	It has been commissioned to:
	Advise the public sector-Government, Agencies, local authorities-on key issues to help overcome structural barriers.
	Promote the 'resources hierarchy' to businesses and householders.
	Persuade stakeholders in all sectors to share ideas, pool resources, and improve sustainability.
	Its full role is explained in its Terms of Reference which will be available on the Board's website when it goes live on 26 February 2010:
	www.nesrb.org.uk
	DEFRA regional waste funding was used by the North East to assess how best to provide effective leadership in resource management. This led to the Board's establishment. No public funding has been allocated to the Board. It is supported by private sector funding, but One North East, the Regional Development Agency covering North East England, has agreed that one of their delivery bodies can provide regional co-ordination and administrative help for establishing and supporting the Board and Stakeholder Group.
	Apart from the statutory London Waste and Recycling Board, this is the first funded regional board covering the management of resources, recycling and waste. Other regions are considering their own appropriate strategic arrangements to co-ordinate sustainable resource management. This will contribute to their regional strategies, as proposed under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009.

Streatham

Keith Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Streatham constituency, the effects on that constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Dan Norris: Due to the broad nature of the question and the wide range of DEFRA policies implemented in Streatham, which falls under Lambeth council, it is not possible to provide a detailed answer in the form requested.
	As a local authority, Lambeth is obliged through statute to comply with central Government legislation. DEFRA's policy responsibilities are summarised in its departmental strategic objectives (DSOs) that have been agreed with the Treasury:
	To promote a society that is adapting to the effects of climate change, through a national programme of action and a contribution to international action.
	To promote a healthy, resilient, productive and diverse natural environment.
	To promote sustainable, low carbon and resource efficient patterns of consumption and production.
	To promote an economy and a society that are resilient to environmental risk.
	To champion sustainable development.
	To promote a thriving farming and food sector with an improving net environmental impact.
	To encourage a sustainable, secure and healthy food supply.
	To provide socially and economically sustainable rural communities.
	To be a respected Department delivering efficient and high quality services and outcomes.
	DEFRA publishes annual departmental reports which set out progress against its Public Service Agreement targets and DSOs. The 2009 Report is available at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/how/deprep/2009-report.htm
	Past reports are available online in the National Archives.
	For information on a specific DEFRA policy in Lambeth, the Government Office for London is able to provide information on implementation and the benefits to the area.

Wood: NDPBs

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer on 14 January 2010,  Official Report, column 1079W, on wood: Government departments, whether guidance provided by the Central Point of Expertise on Timber is binding on all non-departmental public bodies.

Dan Norris: I can confirm that pursuant to the answer on 14 January 2010,  Official Report, column 1080W, on wood: Government Departments, the UK Government timber procurement policy is mandatory for all central Government Departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Security

Julian Brazier: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what date officials of his Department first met representatives of the aviation industry to discuss the implications for UK airport security of the attempt to detonate an explosive on a commercial airliner on 25 December 2009.

Paul Clark: Departmental officials were in contact with the aviation industry immediately after news of the incident on 25 December was received and throughout the Christmas and new year period. The Secretary of State met senior executives from a number of major airports on 6 January 2010 to discuss the security implications of the incident and a formal consultation session for representatives from the aviation security sector was held on 7 January 2010.

Civil Servants: Pay

John Leech: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the total amount of bonuses paid to members of the senior civil service in his Department was in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009.

Chris Mole: The total amount of non-consolidated performance related awards paid to members of the senior civil service in the Department for Transport was £1,344,831 in 2008 and £1,310,804 in 2009.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Adam Holloway: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the average queuing time was at the Dartford River Crossing  (a) northbound and  (b) southbound toll plaza per 15 minute interval per weekday in the last 12 months.

Chris Mole: Specific data on queuing times at the Dartford River Crossing toll plaza is not recorded.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Adam Holloway: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how long on average payment transactions took at each toll booth at the Dartford River Crossing in the last 12 months.

Chris Mole: In the last 12 month period from February 2009 to January 2010 the average payment transaction time for the toll booths at the Dartford Crossing was 12.3 seconds. Figures for individual booths can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Drinking Water

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department spent on bottled drinking water in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost. All expenditure was incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Written Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what average time his Department took to answer questions for  (a) ordinary written answer and  (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months.

Chris Mole: In the calendar year 2009 the Department for Transport took an average of 4.26 days to answer written questions and 2.70 days to answer named day questions.
	With effect from the current Session of Parliament, each Department will provide the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics on the time taken to answer written questions. This implements recommendation 24 of the 3rd report from the Procedure Committee, Session 2008-09.

Government Car and Despatch Agency: Finance

Mark Todd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the reason for the cost of the finance function of the Government Car and Despatch Agency referred to in the publication, Benchmarking the Back Office: Central Government; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: Annex A to the publication Benchmarking the Back Office: Central Government states that the cost of the finance function in the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) was 5.5 per cent. of its turnover in 2008-09. Although this could be perceived as high against the best practice benchmark of 1 per cent. in relative terms due to the overall costs of the GCDA being relatively low, the percentage costs of the functional elements become inflated.
	The finance function was increased in order to address temporary peaks in business activity and the introduction of a new IT system. Staff levels in the finance team are now falling.
	The new interim chief executive has begun looking into ways to introduce further efficiencies.

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2010,  Official Report, column 344W, on Heathrow Airport, on what date the then Secretary of State confirmed the decision to hold the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation over a 14 week period.

Paul Clark: In line with guidance, officials adopted a 14-week consultation period as a working assumption as soon as it became clear in 2007 that the consultation would span the Christmas holiday period. The decision was taken by then Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Bolton, West (Ruth Kelly), on 1 October 2007 when she wrote to Cabinet colleagues seeking agreement to the consultation. Agreement to the 14-week period was confirmed following the normal cabinet clearance process, which was completed on 12 November 2007.

Kemble-Swindon Railway Line

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent estimate Network Rail has made of the cost of re-doubling the Swindon to Kemble railway line; and if he will discuss with hon. Members representing constituencies in Gloucestershire the funding of that project.

Chris Mole: The study work undertaken by Network Rail to date indicates a cost of £52.4 million for the redoubling of the Swindon-Kemble section of the Great Western route. Department for Transport officials are in detailed discussion with Network Rail to determine the extent to which the task can be undertaken within the funding available from the south-west region. This is capped at £45 million.
	We hope to be in a position to give further information on the matter in the near future and would be pleased to arrange a meeting with hon. Members.

Kemble-Swindon Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will publish the results of his Department's feasibility study of the re-doubling of the Swindon to Kemble railway line.

Chris Mole: I will make a statement concerning the redoubling of this section of line, along with such supporting material as is necessary, once the present dialogue with Network Rail is concluded.

Kemble-Swindon Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he anticipates a final decision will be made on the re-doubling of the Swindon to Kemble railway line.

Chris Mole: Talks with Network Rail are currently taking place on the subject of redoubling this section of route. I will review the position at the conclusion of that dialogue and take a decision in due course.

Kemble-Swindon Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when the budget from the regional funding allocation in respect of the Swindon to Kemble railway line expires.

Chris Mole: There is no specific end date to the availability of finance from the south-west region in connection with this project. The region has prioritised the scheme to commence during 2010-11 and to make finance available from that point, provided that there is a satisfactory outcome to the negotiations with Network Rail.

Kemble-Swindon Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the earliest date is on which work could commence on the re-doubling of the Swindon to Kemble railway line.

Chris Mole: This depends upon the outcome of negotiations with Network Rail, but if these are successful then preliminary work could commence during 2010.

Kemble-Swindon Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions he has had with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on provision for the funding of any shortfall from the regional funding allocation in respect of the re-doubling of the Swindon to Kemble railway line.

Chris Mole: The Welsh Assembly Government has contributed £100,000 towards the detailed study of re-doubling the line. The Department for Transport is working closely with Network Rail to ensure that it can introduce a scheme that is affordable within the resources available to the south-west region.
	Departmental officials are continuing to keep Welsh Assembly Government officials briefed on the progress of Network Rail's study.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

David Crausby: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many motorists bought a vehicle excise duty licence with a single payment in each of the last three years.

Paul Clark: The figures in the following table are the total numbers of 12-month Vehicle Excise Duty licences, issued in the United Kingdom for financial years 2006-07 to 2008-09.
	
		
			  12-month licence 
			   Number (million) 
			 2006-07 23.068 
			 2007-08 23.381 
			 2008-09 23.420 
		
	
	The figures in the following table are the total numbers of six-month Vehicle Excise Duty licences, issued in the United Kingdom for financial years 2006-07 to 2008-09.
	
		
			  Six-month licence 
			   Number (million) 
			 2006-07 19.776 
			 2007-08 20.199 
			 2008-09 20.077 
		
	
	Both 12-month and six-month licences must be paid for in full prior to issue. There is no option to part pay for either a 12-month or six-month licence.

Park and Ride Schemes

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council on the proposed park and ride scheme at Bridlington, with particular reference to the expected profitability of such a scheme; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential profitability of such a scheme;
	(2)  if he will estimate the financial losses incurred in respect of the operation of the park and ride scheme in Doncaster; and if he will provide guidance to local authorities on the consideration of alternatives to such schemes in circumstances in which they make a financial loss.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport is contributing a maximum sum of £5,428,799 to the construction cost of the Bridlington Integrated Transport Scheme.
	Where the Department is providing more than £5 million to a local authority major scheme, the Department takes operating costs and projected revenues of major schemes into account, among many other factors, as part of a value for money assessment.
	It is not a condition of funding that Park and Ride services or any other schemes must make a financial operating surplus. It is the responsibility of the promoting local authority to meet net operating costs including provision of an operating subsidy where necessary or appropriate.
	The Department is not aware of the actual operating costs and revenues relating to the operation of the Doncaster A638 Park and Ride scheme.

Railway Signals

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the financial implications for his Department of the cancellation of the European Train Control System early deployment scheme.

Chris Mole: The Cambrian Early Deployment Scheme has not been cancelled. The lessons learnt from this scheme will be vital to informing the planning of future European Rail Traffic Management System deployments.

Roads: Construction

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many miles of new road lanes on  (a) newly-built roads and  (b) widening projects have been constructed in each year since 1997; and what the estimated cost of such construction has been.

Chris Mole: holding answer 28 January 2010
	The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House. The table provided for local authority major road schemes provides information only from 2000 onwards.
	The Department for Transport does not currently hold detailed information centrally on local authority schemes, such as road lengths or whether the scheme is a new build or widening. Our Regional Transport Statistics publication does, however, provide data on road lengths by region in England and is available on the Department for Transport website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk

Roads: East Riding

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will allocate funds to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council for the purposes of repairing road surfaces cracked, potholed and damaged as a result of the recent severe weather conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport has published guidance on its Emergency Capital Highway Maintenance Funding Scheme. Authorities including East Riding of Yorkshire council may submit a claim for emergency funding to repair damage to their roads which they consider was caused by the recent severe weather. The Department will carefully consider claims that are received.

Roads: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what representations he has received from Gloucestershire County Council on increasing its block grant for the purpose of funding road repairs.

Sadiq Khan: Gloucestershire county council received additional funding under the Department for Transport's Emergency Capital Highway Maintenance funding scheme for damage caused by flooding in 2001 and 2007. No further representations have been received from the authority for additional funding to carry out repairs to their local highway network.

Roads: Snow and Ice

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what advice he has received on the level of compensation payable to motorists in respect of damage to vehicles during the recent severe weather conditions, incurred as a result of the state of repair of roads for which the Highways Agency has responsibility.

Chris Mole: The Highways Agency has a comprehensive road resurfacing programme to reduce the potential for potholes and other surface defects but there is no doubt that the severity of the recent weather conditions has led to an increase in defects to the road surface. The Highways Agency is confident that the regime for identifying these defects and the resources necessary for undertaking repairs is sufficient to keep England's motorways and trunk roads in a safe and serviceable condition.
	There is no automatic right to compensation. The law makes it quite clear that highway authorities cannot be blamed for everything that happens on their roads and provided that they can demonstrate that they took all reasonable steps to ensure that the highway was safe, they will not be found negligent. Unfortunately, incidents do occur but very few are actually attributable to negligence on the part of the highway authority. The majority of claims brought against the Highways Agency are successfully defended.

Thameslink

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the financial implications of deferring the delivery of Thameslink until 2015.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport is continually reviewing the costs associated with the Thameslink programme. The current forecast of the total costs for the programme, are around £5.5 billion to £6 billion.
	The Department is working closely with Network Rail and other industry partners to ensure that the programme can be delivered within its budget.

Transport: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding the local transport authority in  (a) Suffolk,  (b) Bedfordshire,  (c) Cambridgeshire,  (d) Essex,  (e) Hertfordshire and  (f) Norfolk has received from his Department (i) in total, (ii) per mile of road and (iii) per head of population in each year since 1997.

Sadiq Khan: Funding provided to the local transport authorities in Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Norfolk to support local transport are shown in the following tables. From 2000-01 this funding comprises the integrated transport block and highways maintenance for general capital funding for transport and additional capital funding for specific major projects. Also included is funding for maintenance of roads that have been de-trunked, road safety projects, bus services and cycling and walking schemes. Prior to 2000-01 funding was provided in the form of 'gross approved spending'.
	Revenue expenditure on transport is generally supported through the Department for Communities and Local Government's formula grant, and it is not possible to disaggregate this by service.
	Funding for concessionary travel has not been included, since this is provided to the district councils in these areas, rather than the upper tier transport authorities.
	
		
			  (i) In total 
			  £ million 
			  Financial year  Suffolk  Bedfordshire  Cambridgeshire  Essex  Hertfordshire  Norfolk 
			 2008-09 37.492 17.170 65.964 43.053 35.074 34.792 
			 2007-08 30.495 18.204 65.057 40.412 33.905 40.020 
			 2006-07 42.029 20.909 43.515 32.877 31.743 40.971 
			 2005-06 38.219 11.264 28.512 35.139 38.074 35.872 
			 2004-05 34.222 10.032 30.941 28.571 42.875 42.736 
			 2003-04 26.213 10.738 21.667 28.153 26.746 40.181 
			 2002-03 23.279 26.024 17.273 36.301 26.085 33.614 
			 2001-02 25.126 9.847 16.992 35.260 23.150 39.487 
			 2000-01 9.674 4.715 8.107 13.236 9.911 11.128 
			 1999-2000 6.756 5.045 8.592 9.992 7.302 9.346 
			 1998-99 5.838 3.513 5.613 6.068 4.997 7.115 
			 1997-98 6.141 3.692 8.542 6.615 6.550 7.713 
		
	
	
		
			  (ii) Per mile of road 
			  £000 
			  Financial year  Suffolk  Bedfordshire  Cambridgeshire  Essex  Hertfordshire  Norfolk 
			 2008-09 8.648 11.968 22.517 8.451 11.418 5.532 
			 2007-08 7.038 12.696 21.819 7.944 10.372 6.518 
			 2006-07 9.713 14.667 14.915 6.497 9.754 6.510 
			 2005-06 8.992 8.113 9.881 6.949 12.684 5.719 
			 2004-05 8.060 7.060 10.706 5.647 14.155 6.856 
			 2003-04 6.147 7.442 7.543 5.697 8.277 6.399 
			 2002-03 5.467 18.058 6.021 7.364 8.089 5.362 
			 2001-02 5.910 6.844 5.932 7.164 7.193 6.308 
			 2000-01 2.279 3.783 2.834 2.294 3.086 1.780 
			 1999-2000 1.778 4.110 3.467 2.239 2.580 1.650 
			 1998-99 1.539 2.868 2.268 1.362 1.769 1.258 
			 1997-98 1.621 3.020 3.457 1.488 2.324 1.366 
		
	
	
		
			  (iii) Per head of population 
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Suffolk  Bedfordshire  Cambridgeshire  Essex  Hertfordshire  Norfolk 
			 2008-09 52 42 109 31 33 41 
			 2007-08 43 45 107 29 32 49 
			 2006-07 60 52 74 24 30 49 
			 2005-06 55 28 49 26 36 43 
			 2004-05 50 25 54 21 41 52 
			 2003-04 39 27 38 21 26 49 
			 2002-03 35 67 31 27 25 42 
			 2001-02 38 26 31 27 22 49 
			 2000-01 14 12 15 10 10 14 
			 1999-2000 10 13 16 8 7 12 
			 1998-99 9 10 10 5 5 9 
			 1997-98 9 10 16 5 5 10

HOME DEPARTMENT

Departmental Disclosure of Information

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether  (a) agencies and  (b) non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible sell information on a commercial basis to (i) companies or individuals in the private sector and (ii) other organisations.

Meg Hillier: The agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which the Home Office is responsible make most of their general information available free, via publications or their websites (subject to relevant copyright provisions). Where applicable, most Crown copyright information is available for free re-use under the PSI Click-Use Licence. In common with Government policy, some information is sold as priced publications.
	Of the agencies for which the Home Office is responsible, the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) provides criminal record information to private companies and other organisations for the purposes of pre-employment checks under Part V of the Police Act 1997. A fee is payable to cover the cost of this service, as provided for in the Act.
	In addition, the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) provides a call centre service to accredited private sector organisations to check the validity of passports presented to their business as evidence of identity. IPS does not sell personal data to the organisations; it merely confirms the validity of passport information provided by the organisation. The IPS also provides access to passport records to accredited public sector organisations for the purposes of confirming identity, nationality and/or the validation of a British passport. IPS charges organisations in order to recover the costs incurred in providing these services.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Health Services

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) benchmarking and  (b) auditing will be undertaken by his Department to ensure that ex-service personnel amputees receive the same follow-up management of their prostheses in the NHS as they did in the armed forces.

Kevan Jones: My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Health informed the House on 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 15WS, that:
	a package of measures will be put in place across the NHS to support the increased number of service personnel who have received serious injuries such as loss of limb or brain injuries whilst on active service. This will include new arrangements with the MOD for life care planning together with a guarantee that those seriously injured and needing continuing health care will receive ongoing high quality care for life based on an early and comprehensive assessment and regular review of their needs overseen by an NHS case manager.

Armed Forces: Housing

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects his Department's pilot housing purchase scheme announced on 26 January 2010 to be  (a) completed and  (b) evaluated.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 2 February 2010
	The Armed Forces Home Ownership Scheme (pilot) will run until spring 2013. However, long-term arrangements will be put in place to administer and look after those who have participated in the scheme over the 25-year maximum term of the equity loan they have received.
	The MOD in conjunction with the Homes and Communities Agency will be monitoring and evaluating the scheme closely throughout the pilot period, including looking at factors such as take-up rates, feedback as to whether the scheme meets all the requirements of service personnel, value for money and affordability.

Armed Forces: Housing

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of the £20 million allocation announced on 26 January 2010 for a housing purchase pilot he expects to be spent on administrative overhead costs.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 2 February 2010
	The MOD has agreed to share fixed costs with the Homes and Communities Agency to manage and deliver the Armed Forces Housing Ownership Scheme (pilot). The Swaythling Housing Society (the appointed agent) costs were determined through open competition in line with European Union procurement rules, and total around £100,000 up to spring 2013. In line with other Government schemes, a £1,500 fee is paid from the MOD allocation of funds for each completed house purchase. The total will vary according to the number of homes delivered.

Armed Forces: Housing

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons he decided to restrict eligibility for loans under his Department's housing initiative announced on 26 January 2010 to those who have served between four and six years.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 2 February 2010
	The Armed Forces Housing Ownership Scheme (pilot) is seeking to encourage retention. The criterion of no less than four and no more than six year service was chosen after consultation with the three services. It is a critical period for retention and this approach will also help to target those service personnel on lower incomes who traditionally need the most help to get on the housing ladder.

Armed Forces: Housing

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many units of service family accommodation which did not meet move-in standards were occupied following the signing of a waiver by the tenants in 2009.

Kevan Jones: The only circumstance in which occupants of service family accommodation are asked to sign a waiver is when they are occupying a property outside of the normal preparation timescales for reasons of personal choice; this does not necessarily mean the property was not at move-in standard.
	However the information on the number of occasions in 2009 when this has occurred is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the mental health pilot scheme for armed forces personnel; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many armed forces personnel have taken part in his Department's mental health pilots since their inception;
	(3)  which psychological therapies are being offered as part of his Department's six mental health pilots;
	(4)  what plans his Department has to implement its mental health pilot schemes on a national basis.

Kevan Jones: Six NHS mental health pilot schemes for former armed forces personnel are operational across the UK. Their aim is to assess, treat or signpost veterans to appropriate services. Initial results from the pilots are encouraging with evidence that veterans feel able to access and use the service with confidence. Around 600 veterans have been referred to the pilots so far. The mental health problems seen in ex-service personnel and the appropriate interventions are similar to those in the general population.
	Data collected from the pilots will help shape the design of a best practice NHS-led community mental health service for veterans. The evaluation of these pilots will complete during 2010, with a view to all NHS mental health services rolling out special provision for veterans during 2011-12.
	For those in areas not yet involved in the service, veterans with mental health problems and operational service after 1982 may attend the Medical Assessment Programme at St. Thomas' Hospital, London. Veterans are also a Special Interest Group in accessing Psychological Therapies as part of the Department of Health's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme.

AWE Management: Government Shareholding

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the Government's golden share in AWE Management Ltd. with  (a) UK and  (b) EC competition law.

Quentin Davies: The Government do not own a share in AWE Management Limited. The share owned by the Government is a special share in the share capital of AWE plc. An assessment of this share has been made and I am satisfied that it is compatible with UK and European Union laws.

Ex-servicemen: Care Homes

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate has he made of the number of residential home and nursing home places that are available specifically for former service personnel;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure the provision of residential and nursing home places for former service personnel diagnosed with service-related disabilities, long-term illnesses or age-related care needs; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The MOD does not provide residential care for ex-service personnel. The MOD does, however, work with other Government Departments, local authorities and ex-service charities to ensure that residential care services take account of veterans' needs where appropriate.

Military Bases: Security

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many break-ins at UK military bases were reported in each of the last 12 months.

Kevan Jones: 'Break-ins' is not a category used to record incidents; the following table sets out the number of recorded site incursions into UK military bases and establishments.
	
		
			  2009  Site incursions 
			 January 0 
			 February 0 
			 March 0 
			 April 0 
			 May 0 
			 June 1 
			 July 0 
			 August 5 
			 September 0 
			 October 2 
			 November 0 
			 December 0

Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when a decision on the location of the submarine dismantling project is likely to be made; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: The submarine dismantling project is considering possible sites for both the initial dismantling of out of service submarines and the interim storage of the resulting intermediate level radioactive waste. The analysis of the various options will take account of a wide range of factors, including the output from a strategic environmental assessment (SEA). The options analysis and the SEA will be key elements of the planned public consultation.
	Further analysis work is still required and, until public consultation is complete, no decisions will be taken on the sites for either submarine dismantling or waste storage. Public consultation is currently planned to take place during 2010.

Stress

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the advice issued to staff of his Department on stress recognition and management.

Kevan Jones: MOD is committed to protecting the health, safety and well-being of its employees and has a number of procedures in place to manage stress at work. Advice, based on the Health and Safety Executive's management standards is available to all employees and gives easy to use guidance on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.
	This advice is detailed in Joint Service Publication (JSP) 375 - The Health and Safety Handbook - Leaflet 25 which explains the broad policy for the management of stress at work across MOD which covers both Military and Civilian Personnel.
	A Well Being Handbook also provides a generic guide for employees to recognise and manage their own workplace stress.
	In addition to the above, MOD have The Trauma Risk Management Stress Handbook for Service personnel who have experienced stress during or following operational deployment.
	Copies of all of the above documents will be placed in the Library of the House.

Warships: Decommissioning

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) Royal Navy and  (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships have gone out of service in each year since 1997.

Quentin Davies: The Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels, including submarines, withdrawn from service in each year since 1997 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Royal Navy vessels withdrawn from service  Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels withdrawn from service 
			 1997 HMS Battleaxe RFA Resource 
			  HMS Orwell  
			  HMS Peacock  
			  HMS Plover  
			  HMS Starling  
			  HMS Orkney  
			  HMY Britannia  
			
			 1998 HMS Blackwater None 
			  HMS Spey  
			  HMS Arun  
			  HMS Itchen  
			
			 1999 HMS Birmingham None 
			  HMS Boxer  
			  HMS Beaver  
			  HMS London  
			
			 2000 HMS Brave RFA Olna 
			  HMS Bicester RFA Olwen 
			
			 2001 HMS Intrepid None 
			  HMS Coventry  
			  HMS Berkeley  
			  HMS Cromer  
			  HMS Herald  
			  HMS Bulldog  
			
			 2002 HMS Fearless None 
			  HMS Sheffield  
			  HMS Alderney  
			  HMS Beagle  
			
			 2003 HMS Splendid None 
			  HMS Anglesey  
			  HMS Shetland  
			  HMS Guernsey  
			  HMS Lindisfarne  
			
			 2004 HMS Bridport RFA Sir Geraint 
			
			 2005 HMS Glasgow RFA Sir Percivale 
			  HMS Newcastle  
			  HMS Cardiff  
			  HMS Norfolk  
			  HMS Marlborough  
			  HMS Sandown  
			  HMS Inverness  
			  HMS Brecon  
			  HMS Cottesmore  
			  HMS Dulverton  
			  HMS Leeds Castle  
			
			 2006 HMS Spartan RFA Sir Galahad 
			  HMS Sovereign RFA Sir Tristram 
			  HMS Grafton RFA Grey Rover 
			
			 2007 HMS Dumbarton Castle RFA Brambleleaf 
			   RFA Oakleaf 
			
			 2008 HMS Superb RFA Sir Bedivere 
			
			 2009 HMS Trafalgar None 
			  HMS Southampton  
			  HMS Exeter  
		
	
	HMS Nottingham is due to be withdrawn from service during February 2010.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Responsibilities: Females

Jo Swinson: To ask the Prime Minister if he will consider the merits of establishing a Ministerial post to take forward the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development to prevent violence against women and to promote women's rights internationally.

Gordon Brown: The Government are committed to tackling violence against women and promoting women's rights internationally. We currently support action on violence against women through a range of initiatives in over 20 countries and we work through international organisations to promote women's rights internationally.
	The machinery of government is kept under review.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Class Sizes

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the ratio of teaching assistants to pupils is at  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) Suffolk, (ii) the East of England and (iii) England.

Vernon Coaker: The following table provides the pupil to teaching assistant ratio in local authority maintained primary and secondary schools in Suffolk local authority, the East of England Government office region and England, January 2009.
	
		
			  Pupil:teaching assistant( 1)  ratios( 2) , (PTAR), in local authority maintained primary and secondary schools, January 2009-Coverage: Suffolk local authority, East of England Government office region and England 
			   Suffolk local authority  East of England Government office region  England 
			   Primary  Secondary  Primary  Secondary  Primary  Secondary 
			  2009   
			 PTAR 34.8 72.6 31.4 78.0 34.1 80.1 
			 (1) Includes higher level teaching assistants, nursery nurses, nursery assistants, literacy and numeracy support staff, other non-teaching staff regularly employed to support teachers in the classroom, special needs and minority ethnic pupils support staff.  (2) The pupil to teaching assistant ratio is calculated by dividing the total full-time equivalent (FTE) number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of teaching assistants employed in schools.  Source: Annual School Census.

GCSE

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many pupils achieved GCSE grades A* to C including English and mathematics in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in 2009;
	(2)  how many pupils achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in 2009.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Pupils at the end of Key Stage 4( 1,2)  in maintained schools( 3 ) achieving A* to C in English and maths GCSEs, 5+ A* to C grades, and 5+ A* to C including English and maths GCSEs in Jarrow, South Tyneside, the North East and England, 2008/09( 4,5) 
			   Achieving 5+ A*-C at GCSE and equivalents  Achieving A*-C in English and maths at GCSE  Achieving 5+ A*-C at GCSE and equivalents including English and maths at GCSE 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 England(2) 403,312 70.0 296,550 51.4 293,392 50.9 
			 North East 22,336 72.8 14,862 48.5 14,757 48.1 
			 South Tyneside 1,484 77.5 917 47.9 913 47.7 
			 Jarrow constituency 748 76.3 500 51.0 497 50.7 
			 (1) Number of pupils on roll at the end of Key Stage 4 in the 2008/09 academic year.  (2) These figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas.  (3) Maintained schools include city technology colleges and academies.  (4) Including attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years.  (5) Data is Revised.   Source:  Achievement and Attainment Tables.

GCSE: South West

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in  (a) Torbay constituency and  (b) the South West were below the National Challenge benchmark following the 2009 GCSE results.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested for the academic year 2008/09 is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  The number of schools( 1)  in (a) Torbay constituency and (b) south-west Government office region in which less than 30 per cent. of pupils( 2 ) obtained five or more GCSEs or equivalent at grades A*-C including English and maths GCSEs in 2008/09 
			   Number of schools( 1)  where fewer than 30 per cent. of eligible pupils achieved 5+ A*-C at GCSE or equivalent including English and maths GCSEs in 2008/09  Total number of schools( 1)  in 2008/09 
			 Torbay constituency 0 6 
			 South-west Government office region 16 294 
			 (1) Including only those open maintained mainstream schools with results published in the relevant years Achievement and Attainment Tables and with more than 10 pupils at the end of key stage 4 on roll.  (2) Pupils at the end of key stage 4.   Source:  Achievement and Attainment Tables 2008/09 revised data.

Head Teachers: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people have held the post of head teacher at each school in Milton Keynes since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Head Teachers: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many head teachers there have been at each school in Suffolk since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Streatham

Keith Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Streatham constituency, the effects on that constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Since 1997 the Government have transformed education and childcare with improved outcomes for children and young people. Figures showing the improvement in performance at Key Stage 2 and at GCSE and equivalents in Streatham are given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Key Stage 2 results of 11 year old pupils attending schools in the Streatham constituency: 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining level 4 and above  1997 ( 1) 2009  Perc entage point improvement 1997- 2009 
			 Streatham-English(2) 60 77 17 
			 Streatham-math(s2) 59 74 15 
			 Streatham-Science(2) 66 83 17 
			 England-English(2) 63 80 17 
			 England-maths(2) 62 79 17 
			 England-Science(2) 68 88 20 
			 (1) Revised data (2) Pupils attending schools In Streatham constituency (3.)The average for all schools in England 
		
	
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalents( 1)  results for pupils( 2)  attending schools in the Streatham constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining  1997  2009( 3)  Percentage point improvement 1997-2009 
			 Streatham-5+ A* - C 36.4 76.7 40.3 
			 Streatham-5+ A* - G 85.9 96.7 10.8 
			 National Average-5+ A* - C 45.1 70.0 24.9 
			 National Average-5+ A* - G 86.4 92.3 5.9 
			 1 From 2004 results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a range of oilier qualifications approved pre-16 Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only. 2. From 2006 figures are for pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. Prior to 2006 results are based on pupils aged 15. 3 Revised data. 
		
	
	Further information by constituency is provided within the Department's 'In Your Area' website available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea
	Information available at constituency level includes the number of specialist schools, number of operational Academies, number of teaching assistants and other support staff, number of teachers and pupil/teacher ratios. Where information is not available at constituency level it has been provided at local authority level.
	Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Stroud

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will set out with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Stroud constituency the effects on the constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Since 1997 the Government have transformed education and childcare with improved outcomes for children and young people. Figures showing the improvement in performance at Key Stage 2 and at GCSE and equivalents in Stroud are given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Key Stage 2 results of 11 year old pupils attending schools in the Stroud constituency: 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining level 4 and above  1997 ( 1) 2009  Percentage point improvement 199 7- 2009 
			 Stroud-English(2) 70 86  16 
			 Stroud-maths(2) 66 84 18 
			 Stroud-Science(2) 75 92 17 
			 England-English(3) 63 80 17 
			 England-maths(3) 62 79 17 
			 England- Science(3) 68 88 20 
			 (1) Revised data (2) Pupils attending schools In Stroud constituency (3).The average for all schools in England 
		
	
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalents( 1)  results for pupils( 2)  attending schools in the Stroud constituency: 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining  1997 ( 3) 2009  P ercentage point improvement 1997-2009 
			 Stroud-5+ A* - C 55.6 70.2 14.6 
			 Stroud-5+ A* - G 92.1 94.0 1.9 
			 National Average-5+ A* - C 45.1 70.0 24.9 
			 National Average-5+ A* - G 86.4 92.3 5.9 
			 (1) From 2004 results Incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only. (2) From 2008 figures arc for pupils at the end of Key Stage 4, Prior to 2006 results are based on pupils aged 15. (3) Revised data.

Students: Finance

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people under 20 years old in further education in  (a) England,  (b) the North East and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency received assistance in meeting childcare costs in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: There is a range of support available to provide assistance with child care costs depending on the circumstances of the parent. Since 2004/05 support for child care costs for learners under 19 at the beginning of their programme of learning has been available through the Care to Learn child care support scheme. Care to Learn was extended to include learners under 20 in April 2006.
	In the academic year 2008/09 8,010 learners in England benefited from Care to Learn. This figure will include a number of learners aged over 20 who were under 20 at the beginning of their course.
	The DCSF does not have a breakdown of Care to Learn recipients by constituency. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has operational responsibility for Care to Learn, which includes the collection of management information. Geoff Russell, the LSC's Acting Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend for Middlesbrough South, and East Cleveland with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Teachers: North East

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many teachers were employed in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside and  (c) North East England in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many secondary school teachers were employed in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in (i) 2008 and (ii) 2009;
	(3)  how many primary school teachers were employed in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in 2009.

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many teachers were employed in secondary schools in Leeds North East constituency in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009;
	(2)  how many teachers were employed in primary schools in Leeds North East constituency in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the latest date for which information is available.

Vernon Coaker: Information on the number of teachers in service in local authority maintained schools, city technology colleges and academies in England broken down by the phase of education, Government office region, local authority and constituency for each January from 1997 to 2009 has been placed in the House of Commons Libraries.

Teachers: South West

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teachers and teaching assistants were employed in schools in each constituency in the South West in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The following tables provide the full-time equivalent number of teachers and teaching assistants in service in local authority maintained schools, city technology colleges and academies in each constituency in the south-west Government office region, in each January, 1997 to 2009.
	Further information by constituency is provided within the Department's 'In Your Area' website available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea
	Information available at constituency level includes the number of specialist schools, number of operational academies, number of teaching assistants and other support staff, number of teachers and pupil:teacher ratios. Where information is not available at constituency level it has been provided at local authority level.
	Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent teachers( 1)  in service in local authority maintained schools, city technology colleges and academies. Years: January 1997 to 2009: Coverage: parliamentary constituencies in the  south- west Government office region (GOR) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 South-West GOR(2,3) 34,950 34,990 35,360 35,900 36,930 37,980 38,220 38,280 38,800 39,440 39,570 40,130 40,360 
			 Bath 680 680 680 690 690 700 670 640 650 660 680 690 700 
			 Bournemouth East 580 590 600 600 630 650 640 630 630 620 630 660 660 
			 Bournemouth West 410 430 440 440 470 480 480 480 470 460 480 490 480 
			 Bridgwater 650 650 650 670 680 710 720 720 730 730 740 760 770 
			 Bristol East 620 600 550 660 710 620 640 650 660 680 670 710 700 
			 Bristol North West 900 890 910 900 910 910 920 940 900 920 930 910 910 
			 Bristol South 860 830 790 860 870 840 810 830 820 850 810 780 840 
			 Bristol West 430 430 440 440 450 450 440 440 460 470 480 530 640 
			 Cheltenham 610 680 690 700 710 670 680 690 670 680 690 690 700 
			 Christchurch 560 570 590 610 620 560 580 590 530 600 590 570 570 
			 Cotswold 690 700 720 730 750 770 810 800 820 830 830 830 840 
			 Devizes 800 800 800 800 810 840 860 870 910 910 910 940 950 
			 East Devon 470 470 490 500 520 540 540 560 570 580 580 600 610 
			 Exeter 650 660 650 660 670 690 690 720 700 700 690 720 730 
			 Falmouth and Camborne 670 660 660 660 680 690 710 710 730 730 730 730 720 
			 Forest of Dean 590 550 560 550 580 660 660 650 670 680 680 680 690 
			 Gloucester 910 910 930 940 980 1,010 1,050 1,070 1,080 1,120 1,120 1,130 1,140 
			 Kingswood 750 750 730 760 780 820 840 830 820 840 840 860 880 
			 Mid Dorset and North Poole 830 840 820 830 850 870 900 870 880 900 890 920 900 
			 North Cornwall 850 830 840 870 880 900 890 900 920 950 960 980 970 
			 North Devon 630 630 640 640 660 700 710 720 710 750 750 760 760 
			 North Dorset 570 590 600 600 620 740 750 770 810 840 840 840 840 
			 North Swindon 720 720 730 770 810 770 740 780 770 780 750 800 840 
			 North Wiltshire 830 820 820 840 890 900 910 910 950 990 1,020 1,060 1,070 
			 Northavon 840 840 870 890 920 940 940 890 910 920 920 940 940 
			 Plymouth, Devonport 1,020 1,010 1,000 1,010 1,020 1,050 1,040 1,010 1,010 1,000 980 980 950 
			 Plymouth, Sutton 550 550 590 610 640 620 610 600 610 630 630 650 640 
			 Poole 420 430 420 430 450 450 460 440 440 460 480 460 470 
			 St. Ives 640 640 620 630 660 670 690 690 700 700 700 730 730 
			 Salisbury 740 740 730 740 760 760 780 790 790 790 800 810 300 
			 Somerton and Frame 660 670 670 680 690 710 720 720 710 720 720 720 700 
			 South Dorset 480 480 490 490 500 520 520 520 530 540 520 530 540 
			 South East Cornwall 700 690 700 710 750 760 760 750 770 800 800 810 790 
			 South Swindon 680 690 690 710 710 800 790 780 760 780 840 830 340 
			 South West Devon 670 690 700 720 740 780 780 770 800 790 770 790 800 
			 Stroud 710 720 720 730 760 790 800 780 810 820 830 840 830 
			 Taunton 680 650 650 670 690 740 740 790 780 770 770 780 780 
			 Teignbridge 640 650 670 670 690 730 730 730 740 750 760 770 750 
			 Tewkesbury 680 680 680 700 720 750 770 770 780 780 810 820 800 
			 Tiverton and Honiton 750 760 790 780 810 860 850 840 850 880 890 900 900 
			 Torbay 720 740 770 770 790 830 820 710 740 750 850 870 850 
			 Torridge and West Devon 680 700 720 720 750 770 770 780 790 800 790 790 800 
			 Totnes 620 640 640 650 680 710 710 860 870 920 770 790 800 
			 Truro and St. Austell 660 650 650 650 660 700 700 710 720 730 730 760 770 
			 Wansdyke 860 860 870 890 900 950 940 930 950 960 980 990 990 
			 Wells 680 680 690 710 720 760 780 770 790 800 800 800 800 
			 West Dorset 700 730 750 760 790 820 850 910 910 910 940 940 940 
			 Westbury 760 740 760 780 830 860 860 860 890 910 920 920 920 
			 Weston-Super-Mare 690 670 660 660 670 700 690 710 710 740 740 750 750 
			 Woodspring 710 690 690 700 700 720 720 710 740 750 780 780 790 
			 Yeovil 690 680 670 680 710 740 750 740 770 760 750 750 750 
			 (1) Includes qualified and unqualified teachers. (2) City technology colleges are excluded for 1997, 1998 and 1999, from the parliamentary constituency breakdown. They are included in the regional totals. (3) A small number of teaching assistants are included in the South West region total but excluded from the parliamentary breakdown because the constituency of some institutions is unknown.  Source: School Census 
		
	
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent teaching assistants in service in local authority maintained schools, city technology colleges and academies. Years: January 1997 to 2009 :  Coverage: parliamentary constituencies in the south-west Government office region (GOR) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 South-west (GOR)(1,2) 4,940 5,500 5,950 6,680 8,090 8,980 10,070 11,180 12,670 13,460 14,000 14,700 14,940 
			 Bath 90 90 100 100 110 40 70 50 90 130 200 190 160 
			 Bournemouth East 40 50 70 100 120 180 170 190 200 210 230 240 250 
			 Bournemouth West 50 80 100 110 130 200 200 220 200 250 260 280 310 
			 Bridgwater 130 150 150 150 180 220 240 210 230 310 330 300 290 
			 Bristol East 140 140 120 160 170 190 180 210 230 230 230 260 210 
			 Bristol North West 220 220 220 240 260 270 290 330 340 360 380 420 350 
			 Bristol South 220 250 220 270 300 310 300 350 390 360 390 370 280 
			 Bristol West 80 90 100 100 130 150 150 180 180 210 200 200 140 
			 Cheltenham 70 70 80 90 120 90 80 80 120 110 110 140 120 
			 Christchurch 40 50 70 100 110 100 160 210 230 250 250 260 270 
			 Cotswold 60 60 70 80 100 90 120 110 120 140 130 140 130 
			 Devizes 80 90 90 110 120 150 140 220 180 200 200 280 370 
			 East Devon 30 50 60 60 100 140 160 200 210 230 230 240 260 
			 Exeter 100 120 120 140 190 250 290 350 350 370 380 420 490 
			 Falmouth and Camborne 150 190 200 210 220 210 220 210 400 350 350 370 380 
			 Forest of Dean 70 60 80 80 110 120 130 120 160 180 140 150 140 
			 Gloucester 130 130 150 160 190 170 180 170 220 290 310 220 270 
			 Kingswood 130 140 150 160 200 230 250 260 280 300 320 310 310 
			 Mid Dorset and North Poole 60 80 120 150 170 280 270 300 320 350 360 370 410 
			 North Cornwall 180 200 220 240 240 220 300 220 400 340 340 420 430 
			 North Devon 90 100 100 120 160 210 280 310 340 370 380 400 430 
			 North Dorset 70 100 90 140 150 200 240 300 320 340 340 380 410 
			 North Swindon 100 120 100 130 160 140 120 220 190 210 260 340 390 
			 North Wiltshire 80 70 80 80 90 140 150 170 180 200 210 260 280 
			 Northavon 120 130 120 160 200 200 250 240 250 260 360 270 280 
			 Plymouth, Devonport 120 160 190 170 370 320 380 350 350 470 420 430 320 
			 Plymouth, Sutton 50 50 80 90 200 180 180 150 220 220 180 240 190 
			 Poole 30 40 60 70 90 180 170 190 180 200 220 230 240 
			 St. Ives 160 160 170 160 180 190 220 240 310 250 270 310 360 
			 Salisbury 90 90 80 80 100 140 170 180 200 160 160 190 260 
			 Somerton and Frome 100 120 120 120 140 150 180 150 180 240 250 160 210 
			 South Dorset 60 80 100 130 180 180 200 280 290 310 340 350 380 
			 South East Cornwall 170 190 200 210 200 170 230 270 370 330 330 390 400 
			 South Swindon 100 130 120 140 160 80 100 200 190 170 190 230 230 
			 South West Devon 50 60 70 70 180 210 250 230 260 300 320 300 250 
			 Stroud 80 80 100 100 130 140 140 130 160 150 190 170 150 
			 Taunton 140 150 160 170 210 240 220 240 280 300 310 260 270 
			 Teignbridge 80 80 90 110 140 200 240 350 360 380 380 440 400 
			 Tewkesbury 60 70 70 80 80 110 110 100 120 170 170 180 200 
			 Tiverton and Honiton 80 100 100 110 160 220 260 300 320 330 380 390 420 
			 Torbay 70 100 120 140 160 160 180 210 190 200 270 240 260 
			 Torridge and West Devon 80 100 100 130 160 210 290 320 340 360 390 410 420 
			 Totnes 50 60 60 100 110 140 170 260 290 320 280 300 280 
			 Truro and St. Austell 130 140 170 170 160 220 220 250 390 360 350 400 410 
			 Wansdyke 100 100 80 90 100 70 80 80 130 190 210 210 200 
			 Wells 110 120 130 120 150 180 180 190 200 260 230 240 250 
			 West Dorset 80 90 120 160 180 240 240 330 370 360 350 380 410 
			 Westbury 90 90 100 80 100 140 190 210 190 200 200 270 310 
			 Weston-Super-Mare 120 140 130 150 160 180 210 220 260 240 260 280 310 
			 Woodspring 70 80 90 110 130 130 160 150 190 190 190 190 200 
			 Yeovil 130 130 120 130 160 140 180 200 210 270 270 300 240 
			 (1) City technology colleges are excluded for 1997, 1998 and 1999, from the parliamentary constituency breakdown. They are included in the regional totals. (2) A small number of teaching assistants are included in the south-west region total but excluded from the parliamentary breakdown because the constituency of some institutions is unknown.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Teachers: Training

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students are on a course at each relevant university to train as teachers in the skills for life sector; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	Teachers of adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) who have the intention of teaching in the Further Education and Skills Sector are expected to hold a subject specific as well as a generic teaching qualification. They can take these as two separate qualifications by completing:
	a generic teaching programme and then an additional diploma in the subject specialism;
	an integrated programme that combines both.
	Experienced Skills for Life teachers who do not hold the necessary qualifications can gain professional standing through the Professional Recognition route.
	Latest available figures for 2009/10 report a total of 6,130 enrolments on Skills for Life teaching programmes at Higher Education Institutions and with National Awarding Bodies. Further details of these enrolments are presented in the table.
	 Note:
	The figures supplied do not disaggregate by university.
	
		
			  Number of enrolments on Skills for Life teaching programmes-2009/10( 1) 
			  Higher Education Institutions and National Awarding Bodies in England 
			   Integrated programme  Additional diploma  Total by provider 
			   HEIs  Awarding bodies  Total  HEIs  Awarding bodies  Total  HEIs  Awarding bodies  Total 
			 ESOL 730 - 730 1,080 80 1,160 1,810 80 1,890 
			 Literacy 650 20 670 1,580 120 1,700 2,220 140 2,370 
			 Numeracy 400 - 400 1,280 190 1,470 1,680 190 1,880 
			 Total 1,780 20 1,800 3,940 400 4,330 5,720 420 6,130 
			 (1) Provisional.  Notes: 1. Exclude further education colleges. 2. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown. 3. Figures are provisional and subject to change.  Source: Research Team, Lifelong Learning UK

United Church Schools Trust: Finance

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has allocated any funding to the United Church Schools Trust in respect of sponsorships.

Vernon Coaker: The Department pays the feasibility, implementation, running and capital costs of academies. Where applicable, academy sponsors make a sponsorship payment to an endowment fund to support the work of the academy or as a contribution towards capital costs. A table has been placed in the Library setting out funding paid to the United Church Schools Trust (UCST), which sponsors 17 academies. This funding has been allocated for the feasibility and implementation costs of some of their academies. Funding for other feasibility and implementation costs have been paid to the United Learning Trust (ULT), which is the multi-academy trust established by UCST to set up and run their academies. Sponsors are not permitted to make a profit from academies and any services they supply must therefore be provided at cost.
	This reply corrects an error in PQ301251 24 November 2009,  Official Report, column 100W, which said that the Department does not provide any funding to the United Church Schools Trust (UCST).

Vocational Education: South West

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many 16-year-olds completed a BTEC First Diploma in each subject in each parliamentary constituency in the South West in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: Tables showing the number of 16-year-olds in each parliamentary constituency in the south-west who completed a BTEC First Diploma in each subject in each of the last five years for which information is available will be placed in the House of Commons Libraries.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many admissions to hospital from accident and emergency departments for an alcohol-related diagnosis there were of people  (a) under the age of 18 years in (i) the former Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire strategic health authority area, (ii) the East of England strategic health authority area, (iii) the West Suffolk Hospital NHS trust area and (iv) the Suffolk primary care trust area in each year since 1997.

Gillian Merron: The information is not available in the format requested. However, data from 2002-03 have been set out in the following table.
	
		
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Former Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area(1) 316 393 399 394 364 378 321 
			 East of England SHA area 687 807 838 831 847 865 699 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust area(2) 30 50 53 37 31 49 46 
			 Suffolk Primary Care Trust (PCT) area(3) 93 125 126 93 81 92 83 
			 (1) The figures for former the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA area for 2002-03 to 2005-06 have been constructed by combining North Peterborough, South Peterborough, Huntingdonshire, Cambridge City, South Cambridgeshire, East Cambridgeshire and Fenland, Norwich, Southern Norfolk, West Norfolk, Broadland, North Norfolk, Great Yarmouth, Waveney, Ipswich, Suffolk Coastal, Central Suffolk and Suffolk West PCTs; those for 2006-07 to 2008-09 have been constructed by combining Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Great Yarmouth and Waveney, and Suffolk PCTs. (2) Providers do not cover a limited 'area'. Patients treated at West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust could reside anywhere in England. (3) The figures for Suffolk PCT for 2002-03 to 2005-06 have been constructed by combining Ipswich, Suffolk Coastal, Central Suffolk and Suffolk West PCTs.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, The Information Centre for health and social care.

Blaydon

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to the Blaydon constituency, the effects on Blaydon of his Department's policies and actions since 2000.

Ann Keen: The Government have put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. 93 per cent. of people nationally now rate the NHS as good or excellent. The NHS Constitution contains 25 rights and 14 pledges for patients and the public including new rights to be treated within 18 weeks, or be seen by a cancer specialist within two weeks and an NHS health check every five years for those aged 40 to 74 years.
	There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Blaydon constituency. For example:
	Figures for November 2009 show that in Gateshead primary care trust (PCT):
	96 per cent. of patients whose treatment involved admission to hospital started their treatment within 18 weeks.
	98 per cent. of patients whose treatment did not involve admission to hospital started their treatment within 18 weeks.
	In September 2009, at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, 99 per cent. of patients spent less than four hours in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.
	Between September 2007 and September 2008, the number of consultants at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust has increased from 101 to 114. Between September 2007 and September 2008 the estimated number of nurses has increased from 1,048 to 1,095.
	Between September 2001 and September 2008, the number of general practitioners (GPs) per 100,000 within Gateshead PCT has increased from 62.8 to 77.7.
	93.8 per cent. of urgent GP referrals to Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust with suspected cancer are seen by a specialist within two weeks of the referral.
	Gateshead PCT opened its GP-led health centre in June 2009 in Blaydon. Blaydon GP led health clinic offers longer opening hours, meaning that any member of the public will be able to see a GP or nurse between 8 am and 8 pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
	Although statistical information is not available at a local level, Blaydon will have also benefited from national policies in other areas. For example:
	Since 1997, gross current expenditure on personal social services has increased by around 70 per cent. in real terms, with around 105,000 households now receiving intensive home care and 3,076 new extra care housing units-exceeding the original target of 1,500 new extra care units.
	Other strategies currently being implemented are:
	Subject to parliamentary approval, the Personal Care at Home Bill will guarantee free personal care for 280,000 people with the highest needs and help around 130,000 people who need home care for the first time to regain their independence.
	Shaping the Future of Care Together Green Paper, published in July 2009, sets out a vision of a National Care Service for all adults in England that is fair, simple and affordable. The Department has consulted widely on this reform and is currently analysing the responses, which will feed into a White Paper later this year.
	The National Carer's Strategy-Carers at the heart of 21(st) century families and communities-launched in 2008.
	The first National Dementia Strategy was published in February 2009.
	Valuing People Now-a three year strategy for people with learning disabilities-was published in January 2009.
	New Horizons: A Shared Vision for Mental Health was launched in December 2009 to maintain improvements in mental health services, combined with a new cross-Government approach to promoting public mental health.
	Since 1998, there are now 2.4 million fewer smokers in England as a result of the Government's comprehensive tobacco control strategy, which has a measurable impact on reducing smoking prevalence.
	Child obesity levels are reducing due to the efforts of families across England, supported by the Government's obesity strategy. In 2008, 13.9 per cent. of children (aged two to 10) in England were classified as obese, compared with 17.3 per cent. in 2005.
	Overall, life expectancy at birth for men has increased from 74.5 years (1995-97 data) to 77.7 years (2006-08 data) while for women, life expectancy at birth has increased from 79.6 years (1995-97 data) to 81.9 years (2006-08 data).

Capacitybuilders: Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the Capacitybuilders programme in each financial year since its inception; how much has been spent on consultants in respect of that programme in each such financial year; and how much has been paid out in grants to charities in each such financial year.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	Capacitybuilders is an Executive NDPB, accountable to the Minister for the Cabinet Office. The grant in aid paid by Cabinet Office to Capacitybuilders in each year since its inception is set out as follows. Capacitybuilders disburses grants to a range of third sector organisations: breaking this down between charities and other recipients would incur a disproportionate cost. Expenditure on consultancy as defined by the Office of Government Commerce has not been collated and analysed by Capacitybuilders prior to 2009-10, and could not be provided except at disproportionate cost. However, this information is being routinely collected from 2009-10 onwards.
	
		
			   Grant in aid (£) 
			 2006-07 37,298,000 
			 2007-08 32,800,000 
			 2008-09 30,178,000

Cleethorpes

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Cleethorpes constituency, the effects on that constituency of his Department's policies since 1997.

Ann Keen: The Government have put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. 93 per cent. of people nationally now rate the NHS as good or excellent. The NHS Constitution contains 25 rights and 14 pledges for patients and the public including new rights to be treated within 18 weeks, or be seen by a cancer specialist within two weeks and an NHS health check every five years for those aged 40-74 years.
	There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Cleethorpes constituency. For example:
	Figures for November 2009 show that in North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus (CTP):
	97 per cent. of patients whose treatment involved admission to hospital started their treatment within 18 weeks.
	98 per cent. of patients whose treatment did not involve admission to hospital started their treatment within 18 weeks.
	In September 2009, at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 98.8 per cent. of patients spent less than four hours in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.
	Between September 2002 and September 2008, the number of consultants at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has increased from 120 to 141. Between September 2002 and September 2008 the estimated number of nurses has increased from 1,646 to 1,826.
	Between September 2001 and September 2008, the number of general practitioners (GPs) per 100,000 within North East Lincolnshire PCT has increased from 55.9 to 62.6.
	97.9 per cent. of urgent GP referrals to Northern Lincolnshire and Goole hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with suspected cancer are seen by a specialist within two weeks of the referral.
	North East Lincolnshire CTP opened its GP-led health centre in July 2009 in Grimsby. Quayside Open Access Centre offers longer opening hours, meaning that any member of the public will be able to see a GP or nurse between 8 am and 8 pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year. It also has a partnership agreement with Open Door practice which provides a specialist service for patients unable to access traditional health and social care services.
	A publicly funded £12 million new women and children's unit opened at the Diana Princess of Wales hospital in February 2004.
	Although statistical information is not available at a local level, Cleethorpes will have also benefited from national policies in other areas. For example:
	Since 1997, gross current expenditure on personal social services has increased by around 70 per cent. in real terms, with around 105,000 households now receiving intensive home care and 3,076 new extra care housing units-exceeding the original target of 1,500 new extra care units.
	Other strategies currently being implemented are:
	Subject to parliamentary approval, the Personal Care at Home Bill will guarantee free personal care for 280,000 people with the highest needs and help around 130,000 people who need home care for the first time to regain their independence.
	Shaping the Future of Care Together Green Paper, published in July 2009, sets out a vision of a National Care Service for all adults in England that is fair, simple and affordable. The Department has consulted widely on this reform and is currently analysing the responses, which will feed into a White Paper later this year.
	The National Carer's Strategy-Carers at the heart of 21(st) century families and communities-launched in 2008.
	The first National Dementia Strategy was published in February 2009.
	Valuing People Now-a three year strategy for people with learning disabilities-was published in January 2009.
	New Horizons: A Shared Vision for Mental Health was launched in December 2009 to maintain improvements in mental health services, combined with a new cross-Government approach to promoting public mental health.
	Since 1998, there are now 2.4 million fewer smokers in England as a result of the Government's comprehensive tobacco control strategy, which has a measurable impact on reducing smoking prevalence.
	Child obesity levels are reducing due to the efforts of families across England, supported by the Government's obesity strategy. In 2008, 13.9 per cent. of children (aged two to 10) in England were classified as obese, compared with 17.3 per cent. in 2005.
	Overall, life expectancy at birth for men has increased from 74.5 years (1995-97 data) to 77.7 years (2006-08 data) while for women, life expectancy at birth has increased from 79.6 years (1995-97 data) to 81.9 years (2006-08 data).

Health

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the average body mass index of people in  (a) England,  (b) the East of England,  (c) Suffolk,  (d) Bedfordshire,  (e) Cambridgeshire,  (f) Essex,  (g) Hertfordshire and  (h) Norfolk.

Gillian Merron: The Health Survey for England 2008 Volume 1 Physical Activity and Fitness contains information on the mean body mass index (BMI) for children aged 2-15 and adults aged 16 and over in England. Table 7.3 and 13.3 shows the mean BMI for people in the East of England. This publication has been placed in the Library.
	However, data are not available at county level for each area.

Hospitals: Admissions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England and Wales aged under  (a) 11 and  (b) 16 years old and under have been admitted to hospital with (i) symptoms of alcohol poisoning, (ii) symptoms of substance abuse, (iii) stab wounds and (iv) gunshot wounds in each year since 1998.

Gillian Merron: The following figures show a count of finished admission episodes where the external cause code or primary diagnosis was stab wounds, gunshot wounds, alcohol poisoning or drug and alcohol misuse (substance abuse).
	It should be noted that a count of finished admission episodes does not represent the number of patients, as a person might have more than one admission episode during a given period, e.g. someone may be admitted for a stab wound and alcohol misuse etc.
	The data provided only relate to activities in English national health service Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector.
	The NHS Information Centre does not hold data relating to Wales.
	Statistics from the NHS Information Centre show that each year since 1998 the following admissions have taken place:
	
		
			  A count of finished admission episodes where the primary diagnosis was alcohol poisoning for children 16 and under, 1998-99 to 2008-09 
			  Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			   Age group  
			   0-10  11-16  16 and under (total) 
			 2008-09 70 241 311 
			 2007-08 82 294 376 
			 2006-07 75 366 441 
			 2005-06 83 438 521 
			 2004-05 88 574 662 
			 2003-04 98 592 690 
			 2002-03 113 615 728 
			 2001-02 105 733 838 
			 2000-01 113 781 894 
			 1999-2000 173 819 992 
			 1998-99 189 812 1,001 
			  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care 
		
	
	
		
			  A count of finished admission episodes where the external cause code was gunshot wounds for children 16 and under, 1998-99 to 2008-09 
			  Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			   Age group  
			   0-10  11-16  16 and under (total) 
			 2008-09 27 142 169 
			 2007-08 26 201 227 
			 2006-07 30 218 248 
			 2005-06 27 189 216 
			 2004-05 29 210 239 
			 2003-04 56 277 333 
			 2002-03 55 284 339 
			 2001-02 55 339 394 
			 2000-01 53 302 355 
			 1999-2000 71 363 434 
			 1998-99 50 278 328 
			  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care 
		
	
	
		
			  A count of finished admission episodes where the external cause code was stab wounds for children 16 and under, 1998-99 to 2008-09 
			  Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			   Age group  
			   0-10  11-16  16 and under (total) 
			 2008-09 55 1,024 1,079 
			 2007-08 56 1,188 1,244 
			 2006-07 66 1,081 1,147 
			 2005-06 49 994 1,043 
			 2004-05 58 826 884 
			 2003-04 70 780 850 
			 2002-03 68 739 807 
			 2001-02 69 664 733 
			 2000-01 75 532 607 
			 1999-2000 70 451 521 
			 1998-99 74 357 431 
			  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care 
		
	
	
		
			  A count of finished admission episodes where the primary diagnosis or the external cause code was substance abuse for children 16 and under, 1998-99 to 2008-09 
			  Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			   Age group  
			   0-10  11-16  16 and under (total) 
			 2008-09 1,172 11,771 12,943 
			 2007-08 1,255 13,375 14,630 
			 2006-07 1,221 13,221 14,442 
			 2005-06 1,280 13,645 14,925 
			 2004-05 1,323 12,254 13,577 
			 2003-04 1,262 12,305 13,567 
			 2002-03 1,270 11,008 12,278 
			 2001-02 1,137 10,869 12,006 
			 2000-01 1,148 10,327 11,475 
			 1999-2000 1,130 10,318 11,448 
			 1998-99 1,104 9,276 10,380 
			  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Local Government: Data

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 22 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1645W, on local government finance, what data sets not contained in the national indicator set local authorities are required to submit to his Department.

Phil Hope: Data on adult personal social services expenditure from councils with adult social services responsibilities in England, are submitted annually to the Department on the personal social services expenditure return, known as the PSS Ex1. These are the only adult social care finance data submitted to the Department.

Nurses: Schools

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified school nurses there are in schools in the London borough of Hillingdon.

Ann Keen: Information is not held in the format required. Information is available for the number of qualified nursing staff in the school nursing area of work, directly employed by national health service organisations as of September 2008. The number of qualified nursing staff in the school nursing area of work in Hillingdon Primary Care Trust (PCT) is shown as follows, broken down into the two categories of nurses who have a specific qualification in school nursing and nurses who do not.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified nursing staff in the school nursing area of work in the Hillingdon PCT as at 30 September 2008 
			   Headcount 
			 Hillingdon PCT 22 
			   
			 Qualified school nurse 3 
			 Other first level nursing 19 
			  Note: Qualified school nurses have a specific qualification in school nursing.  Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census.

JUSTICE

Burglary: Sentencing

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of prison sentence for people convicted of aggravated burglary has been in the last five years.

Claire Ward: The requested information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Average custodial sentence length (ACSL) for aggravated burglary( 1, 2 ) and total sentenced to life and indet erminate sentences 2004- 08 
			   ACSL( 3)  IPP s  Life 
			 2004 52.4 0 3 
			 
			 2005 51.1 4 2 
			 
			 2006 47.2 27 4 
			 
			 2007 50.0 27 1 
			 
			 2008 50.2 28 0 
			 (1) Theft Act 1968 S.10-Aggravated burglary in a dwelling. (2) Theft Act 1968 S.10-Aggravated burglary in a building other than a dwelling. (3) ACSL excludes life and indeterminate sentences.  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. 2. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 
		
	
	These data are presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.

Crime: Convictions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many  (a) males and  (b) females aged (i) under 17, (ii) between 17 and 21, (iii) between 21 and 25, (iv) between 25 and 29 and (v) over 30 years of age have been convicted of a drug offence in England and Wales in each year since 1998;
	(2)  how many people have been convicted of an offence involving violent behaviour on the rail network in each year since 1998;
	(3)  how many people aged 21 years or over have been convicted of an offence related to sexual activity with a child under 13 years old in each year since 1998;
	(4)  how many people aged  (a) 18 years or over and  (b) 21 years or over have received a caution for sexual activity with a child under 13 years in each year since 1998;
	(5)  how many people have been convicted of an offence arising from tackling an intruder in  (a) residential property and  (b) retail property in each year since 1998;
	(6)  how many people have been convicted of an offence of absconding by person released on bail in England and Wales in each year since 1998;
	(7)  how many people in each age group have been convicted of an offence relating to sale or use of fireworks in each year since 1998;
	(8)  how many people were convicted of an offence of  (a) handling stolen goods and  (b) fraud and forgery in (i) Greater London and (ii) England and Wales in each year since 1998;
	(9)  how many people in each age group were convicted for  (a) rape,  (b) attempted rape and  (c) another sexual offence in each year since 1998;
	(10)  how many people in England and Wales were convicted of an offence of  (a) causing death through careless driving under the influence of (i) drink and (ii) drugs,  (b) driving or attempting to drive with alcohol level above the limit and  (c) being in charge of a vehicle when unfit through the influence of drink in each year since 1998;
	(11)  how many people were convicted of an offence of criminal damage in England and Wales in each year since 1998;
	(12)  how many children under the age of 16 years have been convicted of criminal offences in  (a) each year between 1998 and 2002 and  (b) 2008;
	(13)  how many people were convicted of an offence related to possession of a knife in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) each police force area in each year since 2006;
	(14)  how many under 18 year-olds were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted for (i) a sexual offence, (ii) robbery, (iii) criminal damage, (iv) a drug offence and (v) a violent offence in (A) 1998, (B) 2008 and (C) 2009;
	(15)  how many people have been convicted of an offence of impersonating a police officer in each year since 2006;
	(16)  how many males have been convicted for each offence involving violence against the person in each year since 1998.

Claire Ward: The available information has been placed in the Libraries of the House (tables 1 to 15).
	The Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Specific information on the circumstances of an offence are not held centrally and it is therefore not possible to identify whether an offence arising from tackling an intruder occurred in a residential or retail property.
	Cautions and court proceedings data for 2009 are expected to be published in the autumn, 2010.

Debt Collection: Powers of Entry

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to repeal the provisions of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 which provide for  (a) the extension of bailiffs' powers of entry and the use of force by enforcement agents and  (b) charging orders to be granted when the borrowers are repaying debt in accordance with a county court judgment.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 24 April 2009,  Official Report, column 959W. There are no proposals to repeal the primary legislation that allows for the extension of bailiffs' powers of entry and the use of force by enforcement agents. Neither are there any proposals to repeal the provisions which provide for charging orders to be granted when the borrowers are repaying debt in accordance with a county court judgment.

Departmental Billing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the average length of time taken by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies to pay invoices from (i) small and medium-sized enterprises and (ii) all creditors in the last 12 months.

Michael Wills: Following on from the Prime Minister's statement at PMQs on 8 October 2008, all central Government Departments have agreed to the target of paying 90 per cent. of small and medium-sized enterprise invoices within 10 days of receiving a valid invoice. The MOJ has been reporting its performance to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) since November 2008. The performance reported to BIS covers the core Department and its agencies and does not distinguish between small and medium-sized enterprises and all creditors. To attempt to break the performance down further between SMEs and all creditors by Department and its agencies would incur disproportionate costs.
	In the five months from November 2008 to March 2009, my Department's performance against the 10-day target ranged from 55 per cent. to 67 per cent. of all creditor invoices being paid within this timeframe. From April 2009 to December 2009 I am pleased to be able to report that performance has significantly improved ranging from 82 per cent. to 93 per cent. of all creditor invoices now being paid within 10 days. The payment processes operated across the MOJ and its agencies are now operating to a level of consistency that has seen the Prime Minister's target being achieved for the last four months of 2009.
	While I am pleased with this improvement, my finance teams across the Department continue to monitor performance and look to see if we can raise our performance level further.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance has been provided to his Department's staff on providing information about its staff in response to freedom of information and subject access requests; when this guidance was  (a) produced and  (b) promulgated; and who produced it.

Michael Wills: There is no internal guidance which specifically focuses on providing information about its staff in response to freedom of information and subject access requests.
	However, guidance available to the Ministry's staff on the handling of requests made under the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act includes guidelines on the disclosure of the names of staff working at the Ministry. These have been available since November 2009 and accord with the Information Commissioner's guidance on the disclosure of officials' names. In line with this guidance, all requests are dealt with on a case by case basis, and the disclosure of information considered accordingly.

Drugs: Fines

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) lowest,  (b) average and  (c) highest fine given to a person fined on conviction for possession of (i) cannabis, (ii) ecstasy, (iii) cocaine, (iv) crack cocaine and (v) heroin was in each year since 1998.

Claire Ward: The requested information is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Average, maximum and minimum fine amounts imposed at all courts for having possession of a controlled drug by drug type and year, 1998-2008, England and Wales 
			   Fine amount (£)  
			  Drug type and year  Minimum  Maximum  Average  Number of persons fined 
			  Cannabis 
			 1998 5 3,060 78.27 15,503 
			 1999 5 1,300 75.41 15,215 
			 2000 5 3,350 74.87 13,638 
			 2001 5 2,000 72.12 12,960 
			 2002 5 2,000 66.27 14,123 
			 2003 5 5,000 70.58 15,172 
			 2004 5 5,000 71.14 6,972 
			 2005 5 5,000 73.65 6,316 
			 2006 5 1,000 78.90 6,368 
			 2007 5 1,400 80.93 6,839 
			 2008 5 2,500 82.59 8,694 
			  
			  Cocaine 
			 1998 20 3,000 168.37 1,003 
			 1999 10 5,000 176.14 1,243 
			 2000 20 2,000 204.30 1,117 
			 2001 10 1,000 192.96 1,107 
			 2002 10 2,000 176.06 1,332 
			 2003 5 5,000 172.42 1,411 
			 2004 20 2,000 172.20 1,516 
			 2005 10 2,500 176.09 1,731 
			 2006 20 5,000 179.31 2,055 
			 2007 5 2,000 168.14 2,307 
			 2008 8 3,515 172.52 2,839 
			  
			  Crack Cocaine 
			 1998 10 500 136.07 192 
			 1999 25 1,800 124.80 246 
			 2000 25 1,000 132.82 265 
			 2001 25 750 122.88 281 
			 2002 20 500 128.98 394 
			 2003 5 1,500 130.07 381 
			 2004 8 1,000 135.04 328 
			 2005 10 500 129.46 386 
			 2006 20 1,500 138.92 392 
			 2007 15 1,101 128.32 409 
			 2008 15 1,500 133.68 572 
			  
			  Ecstasy (MDMA) 
			 1998 25 2,500 169.25 408 
			 1999 10 2,500 175.20 681 
			 2000 10 1,500 165.76 1,038 
			 2001 5 2,500 150.47 1,201 
			 2002 10 2,000 160.58 1,078 
			 2003 5 5,000 150.87 1,023 
			 2004 10 1,000 152.60 840 
			 2005 10 1,000 170.81 761 
			 2006 15 2,500 163.60 672 
			 2007 10 850 154.72 618 
			 2008 15 1,015 160.72 404 
			  
			  Heroin 
			 1998 15 1,000 117.01 1,505 
			 1999 5 1,000 111.68 1,660 
			 2000 5 2,400 115.14 1,715 
			 2001 5 750 101.35 1,856 
			 2002 10 1,500 100.24 1,758 
			 2003 10 1,000 104.26 1,541 
			 2004 5 1,000 103.55 1,405 
			 2005 5 2,000 106.70 1,230 
			 2006 10 1,000 105.58 1,159 
			 2007 10 1,200 108.33 1,335 
			 2008 10 2,000 110.70 1,478 
		
	
	
		
			  Average, maximum and minimum fine amounts imposed at all courts for having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply by drug type and year, 1998-2008, England and Wales 
			   Fine amount (£)  
			  Drug type and year  Minimum  Maximum  Average  Number of persons fined 
			  Cannabis 
			 1998 15 3,000 219.07 244 
			 1999 10 1,500 216.06 197 
			 2000 25 2,000 306.53 163 
			 2001 20 2,000 204.10 100 
			 2002 30 3,000 246.50 103 
			 2003 25 2,500 322.75 111 
			 2004 20 5,000 382.63 79 
			 2005 20 1,500 171.35 62 
			 2006 35 3,500 307.07 29 
			 2007 15 3,000 301.09 32 
			 2008 5 3,015 322.52 48 
			  
			  Cocaine 
			 1998 100 700 227.78 9 
			 1999 50 500 271.88 8 
			 2000 75 200 124.00 10 
			 2001 50 250 136.11 9 
			 2002 40 2,500 366.92 13 
			 2003 30 750 215.53 19 
			 2004 100 1,000 371.43 14 
			 2005 50 4,000 670.71 14 
			 2006 30 750 293.33 9 
			 2007 30 1,000 326.05 19 
			 2008 10 500 180.91 11 
			  
			  Crack Cocaine 
			 1998 75 100 - 3 
			 1999 125 200 - 2 
			 2000 50 50 - 1 
			 2001 100 300 190.00 5 
			 2002 100 150 - 2 
			 2003 75 75 - 2 
			 2004 50 250 - 3 
			 2005 50 1,500 321.43 7 
			 2006 20 120 - 3 
			 2007 25 60 - 3 
			 2008 * * * 0 
			  
			  Ecstasy (MDMA) 
			 1998 100 750 269.09 11 
			 1999 75 2,000 359.06 16 
			 2000 50 1,000 246.50 20 
			 2001 100 1,500 403.00 20 
			 2002 50 1,000 291.14 22 
			 2003 40 1,000 356.46 24 
			 2004 75 650 272.50 10 
			 2005 100 1,000 500.00 8 
			 2006 100 500 210.00 10 
			 2007 250 2,500 678.57 7 
			 2008 * * * 0 
			  
			  Heroin 
			 1998 50 300 155.77 13 
			 1999 50 500 194.44 18 
			 2000 75 300 161.25 8 
			 2001 25 600 163.75 24 
			 2002 60 250 142.78 9 
			 2003 60 2,500 455.00 12 
			 2004 25 100 - 3 
			 2005 80 300 155.00 5 
			 2006 25 240 103.75 8 
			 2007 25 100 65.83 6 
			 2008 50 100 - 3 
			 - = Figure suppressed as number too small to give meaningful average.   Note:  These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.   Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice Ref: PQ(JSAS) 314818-10 29/01/10.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been issued with  (a) drug rehabilitation requirements and  (b) a drug treatment and testing order in (i) England and Wales, (ii) Greater London and (iii) each police force area in each year since 1998.

Claire Ward: The drug treatment and testing order (DTTO), a community sentence aimed at breaking the link between drug misuse and offending, was rolled out to courts across England and Wales from October 2000, following successful pilots under the management of Merseyside, South-East London and Gloucestershire Probation Services from 1 October 1998 to 31 March 2000.
	From April 2005, the drug rehabilitation requirement (DRR) gradually replaced the DTTO as the primary means for adult offenders to address their drug misuse as part of a community order or suspended sentence order. The number of DTTOs and DRRs made in each probation area, including London, and across England and Wales in each year since 1998 is shown in the following table. It is not possible to provide data for each police force area. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
	
		
			  Drug treatment and  t esting  o rder / Drug  r ehabilitation  r equirement  c ommencements 
			   Pilot (Oct 1998 to  Mar  2000)  Apr 2000 to Sept 2000  2000-01 (Oct 2000 to Mar 2001)  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			  Probation area  DTTOs  DTTOs  DTTOs  DTTOs  DTTOs  DTTOs  DTTOs 
			 Avon and Somerset - - 36 98 122 168 246 
			 Bedfordshire - - 8 59 68 97 102 
			 Cambridgeshire - - 28 74 115 137 70 
			 Cheshire - - 20 65 92 113 129 
			 County Durham - - 8 61 92 119 97 
			 Cumbria - - 2 54 62 72 53 
			 Derbyshire - - 50 123 146 159 169 
			 Devon and Cornwall - - 16 121 157 205 162 
			 Dorset - - 9 62 61 94 116 
			 Dyfed-Powys - - 3 28 55 75 101 
			 Essex - - 40 103 127 130 202 
			 Gloucestershire 100 28 24 52 49 58 74 
			 Greater Manchester - - 90 292 401 541 735 
			 Gwent - - 0 89 82 124 170 
			 Hampshire - - 30 131 181 231 188 
			 Hertfordshire - - 24 62 74 101 126 
			 Humberside - - 33 115 122 199 256 
			 Kent - - 20 128 146 206 228 
			 Lancashire - - 22 111 177 243 351 
			 Leicestershire and Rutland - - 21 112 119 169 228 
			 Lincolnshire - - 26 54 84 119 106 
			 London 42 (1)- 251 556 708 1,084 1,770 
			 Merseyside 68 (1)- 65 178 175 283 393 
			 Norfolk - - 8 47 84 118 111 
			 North Wales - - 47 81 58 108 103 
			 North Yorkshire - - 4 62 77 92 127 
			 Northamptonshire - - 13 43 79 102 136 
			 Northumbria - - 9 105 232 232 289 
			 Nottinghamshire - - 95 173 193 243 224 
			 South Wales - - 0 65 203 309 223 
			 South Yorkshire - - 40 197 239 267 332 
			 Staffordshire - - 11 97 101 158 187 
			 Suffolk - - 12 51 77 87 80 
			 Surrey - - 6 49 68 99 94 
			 Sussex - - 20 96 141 201 249 
			 Teesside - - 18 94 93 152 148 
			 Thames Valley - - 4 210 165 246 341 
			 Warwickshire - - 28 51 53 62 71 
			 West Mercia - - 15 101 144 185 191 
			 West Midlands - - 45 311 391 588 657 
			 West Yorkshire - - 41 240 292 450 614 
			 Wiltshire - - 4 53 40 93 74 
			 England and Wales 210 28 1,246 4,854 6,145 8,519 10,323 
		
	
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Probation area  DTTOs  DRRs  DTTOs  DRRs  DTTOs  DRRs  DTTOs  DRRs 
			 Avon and Somerset 125 199 9 287 1 276 0 574 
			 Bedfordshire 45 63 2 103 0 131 0 115 
			 Cambridgeshire 36 105 3 182 1 156 0 222 
			 Cheshire 45 122 4 190 0 179 0 195 
			 County Durham 38 70 4 138 0 228 0 174 
			 Cumbria 20 64 1 99 0 93 0 84 
			 Derbyshire 81 123 9 228 1 263 0 278 
			 Devon and Cornwall 103 182 8 352 1 425 0 469 
			 Dorset 56 70 5 120 0 144 0 182 
			 Dyfed-Powys 42 82 1 145 0 131 0 141 
			 Essex 89 175 3 294 0 346 0 359 
			 Gloucestershire 39 50 0 79 0 180 0 162 
			 Greater Manchester 235 936 40 1,205 4 1,128 2 1,236 
			 Gwent 60 167 8 201 2 225 0 251 
			 Hampshire 69 204 7 432 1 480 0 509 
			 Hertfordshire 64 96 13 141 0 183 0 228 
			 Humberside 90 256 7 316 0 314 0 394 
			 Kent 107 204 6 310 1 416 0 502 
			 Lancashire 136 365 13 504 0 520 0 658 
			 Leicestershire and Rutland 64 245 12 345 2 300 0 376 
			 Lincolnshire 65 115 7 205 0 186 0 224 
			 London 772 1,445 57 2,877 9 2,768 1 2,698 
			 Merseyside 214 334 29 595 6 630 4 669 
			 Norfolk 40 90 6 190 1 197 0 205 
			 North Wales 45 74 1 111 0 152 0 206 
			 North Yorkshire 32 164 1 127 0 160 0 208 
			 Northamptonshire 67 95 14 175 0 188 0 229 
			 Northumbria 147 238 14 393 0 510 0 539 
			 Nottinghamshire 118 307 4 350 0 392 0 385 
			 South Wales 120 298 11 481 2 588 0 439 
			 South Yorkshire 99 326 4 405 1 541 0 567 
			 Staffordshire 74 282 6 391 0 345 1 428 
			 Suffolk 16 67 1 90 0 104 0 99 
			 Surrey 55 93 5 135 1 169 2 165 
			 Sussex 103 150 2 262 0 326 4 337 
			 Teesside 47 203 3 257 0 304 0 334 
			 Thames Valley 178 241 26 484 4 610 0 557 
			 Warwickshire 34 53 5 81 0 109 0 131 
			 West Mercia 60 187 3 230 1 264 1 288 
			 West Midlands 240 535 22 1,041 2 980 0 952 
			 West Yorkshire 189 509 13 701 1 775 0 834 
			 Wiltshire 57 101 4 153 0 149 0 132 
			 England and Wales 4,316 9,685 393 15,405 42 16,565 15 17,735 
			 (1) Central records were not kept of commencements in the interim period between pilot and full introduction of DTTOs across England and Wales in the London and Merseyside areas.

Elections

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has made an assessment of the effect on the financial markets of the election counts taking place the day after polling at the next general election.

Michael Wills: No such assessment has been made.

Elections

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy to bring forward proposals to ensure that general election counts take place on the evening of polling day.

Michael Wills: Rule 44(1) of the Parliamentary Election Rules in schedule 1 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 provides that the returning officer shall make arrangements for counting the votes in the presence of the counting agents as soon as practicable after the close of the poll.
	However, the Government recognise the obvious strength of feeling on this issue and we hope that it would be taken into account by returning officers, alongside other relevant factors, when coming to a final decision on the timing of the count.

Electoral Register

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps are being taken to encourage voter registration in the run-up to the next general election.

Michael Wills: The Government implemented a range of measures in the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (EAA 2006), to encourage voter registration. These include:
	placing electoral registration officers (EROs) under a duty to take all necessary steps to maintain the electoral register, including sending the canvass form more than once, inspecting records that the ERO is allowed to inspect, and making house to house inquiries;
	establishing a funding mechanism to support novel and innovative projects and activities which EROs and returning officers take in line with their duty under section 69 of the EA Act to encourage electoral participation. The projects have used a variety of innovative methods aimed at encouraging people to register to vote;
	providing for the Electoral Commission to introduce a performance standards framework for EROs. The standards provide a framework within which the performance of EROs can be assessed, and targeted work undertaken to drive up performance where necessary. The first assessments against these standards were published on 21 April 2009 and are available on the Commission's website.
	I understand that the Electoral Commission is currently planning to run a voter registration campaign from 1 April-19 April (1-13 April in Northern Ireland). If the general election is held on the same date as English local government elections on 6 May, the campaign will coincide with the final few weeks to register to vote (registration deadline would be 20 April). If the election is held after 6 May, the Commission will run a second burst of advertising in the days leading up to the registration deadline.
	The campaigns will be weighted to target under-registered groups including:
	Young people aged 16-24
	Recent home movers
	People living in privately rented accommodation
	Certain black and minority ethnic groups,
	Students
	If the election is called earlier, the Commission will launch the campaign earlier, and have plans in place for this.
	The Electoral Commission has also made available a range of materials for local authorities to use in their own public awareness work in the run-up to the general election. These include advertisement templates and press release templates. The Electoral Commission's Do Politics site, which is used by local authorities in planning their public awareness work, has case studies of work that EROs have undertaken to encourage under-registered groups to participate in the democratic process.
	The Government are also keen to find ways to enhance registration rates among service personnel to support their participation in the general election. On 26 January 2010, a statutory instrument was laid in Parliament which extends the service voter declaration period from three to five years. This is intended to facilitate higher levels of registration among service personnel. In addition, since 2005, the Electoral Commission has worked in partnership with the Ministry of Defence on annual campaigns to provide information to armed forces personnel and their families about registration, voting and elections.

Firearms: Convictions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of a firearms offence for which a mandatory minimum sentence was applicable in each year since 1998.

Claire Ward: The available information is shown in the table.
	Information on the number of persons convicted and sentenced from 1998 to 2008 for firearms offences liable for a mandatory minimum custodial sentence proscribed by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 is shown in the table. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 prescribed mandatory minimum custodial sentences for the offences of: possessing or distributing prohibited firearms or ammunition and possessing or distributing firearms disguised as other objects, where the offences were committed on or after 26 January 2004. The data held by the Ministry of Justice does not indicate the date the offence took place or the age of the offender at that time, so it is not possible to determine the number of these cases where the minimum mandatory sentence was applicable. The number of offenders sentenced has been supplied in lieu of the number convicted.
	This table is an extension of the information shown in table 2.9 of Sentencing Statistics 2008 available at the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/sentencingannual.htm
	
		
			  Persons sentenced for firearms offences liable for mandatory minimum custodial sentence as prescribed by the Criminal Justice Act 2003( 1) , 1998-2008-England and Wales 
			  Number of persons 
			   Total sentenced 
			  Age of offender  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003( 2)  2004( 2)  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 16 to 17-year-olds(3) 36 36 35 62 54 52 49 32 15 15 20 
			 18 years and above 995 764 694 677 718 834 688 353 265 249 340 
			 (1) Offences under Firearms Act 1968 of: Possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition, or Possessing or distributing firearm disguised as other object. (2) The mandatory is only applicable for offences that occurred on or after 26 January 2004. (3) Mandatory minimum for persons aged 16 or 17 at time of offence and for offences taking place after 26 January 2004 is three years. Not all of those in this age bracket would have been eligible for the mandatory minimum as they may have been under 16 at the time of the offence; it is the age at the point of sentence that is recorded on courts proceedings database.

Hunting Act 2004: Prosecutions

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) prosecutions, (b) convictions and (c) cautions there were in 2008 for offences under the Hunting Act 2004.

Claire Ward: The number of offenders cautioned, and the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts in England and Wales for offences under the Hunting Act 2004, in 2008 can be viewed in the following table.
	
		
			  The number of offenders cautioned( 1,2)  and the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Hunting Act 2004( 3) , England and Wales, 2008( 4,5) 
			   Number 
			 Cautioned 4 
			 Proceeded against 44 
			 Found guilty 33 
			 (1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) Came into force on 18 February 2005. (4) The court proceedings statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (5) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Interpleader Actions

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many interpleader actions were commenced in the High Court in each of the last five years;
	(2)  when his Department plans to publish its new scale of fees for interpleader proceedings;
	(3)  how many fee assessment hearings relating to interpleader proceedings have been held in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: There are no figures held centrally relating to the number of interpleading actions that were commenced in the High Court. There are also no counts of fee assessment hearings relating to interpleader proceedings in the county courts and High Court. These could be obtained through the examination of individual case files only at disproportionate cost.
	There are no plans to publish any new court fees in relation to interpleader proceedings. The current fees can be found in the Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008 and the Civil Proceedings Fees (Amendment) Order 2009.

Kingston Prison

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether Mr. Bernard Pennington of HM Prison Kingston received legal aid funding in respect of his claim against the Chair of the Prisons Independent Monitoring Board.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission has no record of funding this individual in this case.

Knives and Firearms: Sentencing

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people convicted of an offence of  (a) knife possession and  (b) firearms possession have received the maximum sentence applicable in each year since 1998.

Claire Ward: The requested information is currently being collated and I will write to the hon. Member shortly with this information.

Offenders

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people convicted of a criminal offence in England and Wales in each year since 1998 had never previously been convicted.

Claire Ward: Figures for offenders sentenced for indictable offences in England and Wales between 2000 and 2008 with no previous convictions or cautions are presented in the following table. These figures cover both adult and juvenile offenders.
	
		
			  Offenders sentenced for indictable offences with no previous convictions or cautions, 2000-2008, England and Wales 
			  Number and percentage 
			   All sentenced offenders( 1)  First time offenders( 2)  Percentage of first time offenders 
			 2000 321,981 39,639 12.3 
			 2001 320,888 38,450 12.0 
			 2002 336,038 37,649 11.2 
			 2003 338,344 36,785 10.9 
			 2004 322,944 37,036 11.5 
			 2005 308,289 35,688 11.6 
			 2006 303,383 34,212 11.3 
			 2007 313,811 33,979 10.8 
			 2008 325,616 33,889 10.4 
			 (1) Counts of person sentenced during the year. An offender may be counted more than once if he or she has been sentenced more than once during the year. (2) Offenders who have never been cautioned or convicted previously. 
		
	
	These figures are taken from Table 6.4 of 'Sentencing Statistics 2008' which was published on 28 January 2010 and can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/sentencingannual.htm
	Figures prior to 2000 are not available.
	The figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Parole

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance is used by parole boards to decide on parole applications by prisoners serving  (a) a life sentence and  (b) an indeterminate sentence for public protection.

Claire Ward: The Parole Board is subject to the statutory test for release contained in section 28(6) of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 which prevents a direction for release unless the board is satisfied that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public for the prisoner to be detained. Guidance is offered to the board by the Secretary of State's Directions and, procedurally, in the Parole Board Rules 2004, as amended by the Parole Board (Amendment) Rules 2009. In addition, the board provides its members with intensive training upon their appointment and at regular intervals during their appointment; and publishes internally, guidance on risk assessment and procedural issues. This applies equally to prisoners serving a life sentence or an indeterminate sentence for public protection.

Public Holidays

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the introduction of an additional public holiday; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: No official estimate has been made of the cost to the Department of the introduction of an additional public holiday. The financial impact is expected to be restricted to overtime payments for staff running services such as prisons that operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This cost will be quantified if and when an additional public holiday is agreed.
	For most staff, salary costs are fixed and offices, courts and tribunals will not operate on public holidays. The impact of a lost working day would be managed by:
	Prioritising urgent work and re-scheduling less urgent work.
	Using the flexible working arrangements that are in place for most staff to ensure that urgent work and front-line services are not affected. These arrangements enable staff to work extra hours when necessary and recoup the time when less busy.
	Senior staff absorbing the impact across the rest of the year at no extra cost to the Ministry of Justice.

Tobacco: Sentencing

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of people convicted of an offence of selling tobacco to a minor have received  (a) a fine,  (b) a community sentence,  (c) a custodial sentence and  (d) an alternative punishment in each year since 1998; and what the (i) lowest, (ii) average and (iii) highest fine was for such people who were fined in each such year.

Claire Ward: The following table shows the total number of persons sentenced to a fine, community sentence, custodial sentence or an alternative punishment for each year since 1998. The data also shows the average, maximum and minimum fine imposed on those sentenced for selling tobacco to a minor in each year. This data is presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence, the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences, the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.
	
		
			  Offenders sentenced and disposals for selling tobacco to a minor and the average maximum and minimum fine, 1998 to 2008 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Fine 115 90 113 74 67 82 50 56 51 49 70 
			 Fine % 89 88 84 82 87 88 88 81 89 98 74 
			 
			 Community Sentence 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Community Sentence % 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 
			 Custodial Sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Custodial Sentence % 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 
			 Discharge 14 12 21 16 9 11 7 13 5 1 22 
			 Discharge % 11 12 16 18 12 12 12 19 9 2 23 
			 
			 Otherwise dealt with 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 
			 Otherwise dealt with % 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 
			 
			 Total 129 102 134 90 77 93 57 69 57 50 94 
			 
			 Maximum fine (£) 2,000 1,500 2,000 2,000 2,000 1,700 1,500 2,000 1,650 2,500 2,000 
			 Minimum fine (£) 10 10 50 50 50 50 35 30 40 60 50 
			 Average (£) 226 237 349 301 283 322 274 328 330 324 374 
			  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. 2, Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Victim Support Schemes

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding his Department has allocated to the National Victims Service in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Claire Ward: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Jack Straw) committed the Department to £2 million funding for the National Victims' Service in 2009-10 and £8 million in 2010-11.
	This is new money for victims which has come from efficiency savings within the Ministry of Justice.

CABINET OFFICE

10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much her Department has budgeted for the works in Downing Street covered by Westminster city council planning application with the reference 09/00619/LBC.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) on 27 January 2010,  Official Report, column 964W.

Charities

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will review the effectiveness of the statutory provisions which determine the circumstances in which charities are able to change their charitable objects; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: For a charity in England or Wales to amend its charitable objects, it would usually require the Charity Commission's consent or a legal scheme of the court or Charity Commission. The Charities Act 2006 has recently modernised charity law, including the process under which alterations can be made to charitable objects. It is important that mechanisms exist with appropriate safeguards which enable charities to amend their charitable objects either to keep pace with changes to the environment in which they operate, or to enable them to expand their charitable activities.
	A statutory review of the Charities Act 2006 is due to begin in 2011, and will report to Parliament. This will include examining the changes made by the Charities Act 2006 in relation to alterations to charitable purposes.

Civil Servants: Manpower

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which public bodies had their staff included in civil service headcounts in 2009.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 3 February 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning which public bodies had their staff included in Civil Service headcounts in 2009. (315321).
	A list of public bodies included in Civil Service headcounts in 2009 is attached at Annex A.
	 Annex A
	 Public bodies included in civil service headcounts in 2009 (Civil Service Employment Q3 2009)
	 Attorney General's Departments
	Crown Prosecution Service
	Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate
	Attorney General's Office
	Serious Fraud Office
	Treasury Solicitor
	Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office
	 Business, Innovation and Skills
	Business, Innovation and Skills(1)
	Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service
	Companies House
	Insolvency Service
	Office of Fair Trading
	Office of Gas and Electricity Market
	Postal Services Commission
	National Measurement Office
	UK Intellectual Property Office
	 Cabinet Office
	Cabinet Office excluding agencies
	 Other Cabinet Office agencies
	Central Office of Information
	National School of Government
	Office of the Parliamentary Counsel
	 Charity Commission
	Charity Commission
	 Children, Schools and Families
	Department for Children, Schools and Families
	 Communities and Local Government
	Department for Communities and Local Government
	Fire Service College
	Ordnance Survey
	Planning Inspectorate
	Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre
	 Culture, Media and Sport
	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	Royal Parks
	 Defence
	Ministry of Defence
	Defence Support Group
	Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
	Meteorological Office
	UK Hydrographic Office
	 Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs(1)
	Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
	Food and Environment Research Agency
	Marine Fisheries Agency
	OFWAT
	Rural Payments Agency
	Animal Health
	Veterinary Laboratories Agency
	Veterinary Medicines Directorate
	 Export Credits Guarantee Department
	Export Credit Guarantee Department
	 Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office (excluding agencies)
	Wilton Park Executive Agency
	 Government Equalities Office
	Government Equalities Office
	 Health
	Department of Health (excluding agencies)
	Food Standards Agency
	Meat Hygiene Service
	Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency
	National Healthcare Purchasing and Supplies
	NHS Business Services Authority
	 HM Revenue and Customs
	HM Revenue and Customs
	Valuation Office
	 HM Treasury
	HM Treasury
	 Chancellor's other departments
	Debt Management Office
	Government Actuary's Department
	National Savings and Investments
	Office of Government Commerce
	OGC Buying Solutions
	Royal Mint
	 Home Office
	Home Office (excluding agencies)
	Criminal Records Bureau
	Identity and Passport Service
	UK Border Agency
	 International Development
	Department for International Development
	 Justice
	Ministry of Justice (excluding agencies)
	HM Courts Service
	Land Registry
	National Archives
	The Office of the Public Guardian
	Tribunals Service
	Scotland Office
	Wales Office
	National Offender Management Service
	 Northern Ireland Office
	Northern Ireland Office
	 Ofsted
	Ofsted
	 Security and Intelligence Services
	Security and Intelligence Services
	 Transport
	Department for Transport
	Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
	Driving Standards Agency
	Government Car and Despatch Agency
	Highways Agency
	Maritime and Coastguard Agency
	Office of Rail Regulation
	Vehicle Certification Agency
	Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
	 UK Statistics Authority
	UK Statistics Authority
	 Work and Pensions
	DWP Corporate and Shared Services
	Jobcentre Plus
	Pensions and Disability Carers Service
	Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission
	The Health and Safety Executive
	 Scottish Government
	Scottish Government (excluding agencies)
	Scottish Housing Regulator
	Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
	General Register Scotland
	HM Inspectorate of Education
	Historic Scotland
	National Archive for Scotland
	Office of Accountant in Bankruptcy
	Registers of Scotland
	Scottish Court Service
	Scottish Prison Service Headquarters
	Scottish Public Pensions Agency
	Social Work Inspection Agency
	Student Awards Agency
	Transport Scotland
	Office for the Scottish Charity Regulator
	Disclosure Scotland
	Scottish Law Commission
	 Welsh Assembly
	Welsh Assembly Government
	ESTYN
	(1) Due to not having its own payroll, staff employed by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) are still reported, as part of the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (QPSES), from the Department they were transferred. DECC was created in October 2008, bringing together energy policy (previously with BERR-the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) with climate change mitigation policy (previously with DEFRA-the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

Departmental Internet

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been spent on  (a) strategy and planning,  (b) design and build,  (c) hosting and infrastructure,  (d) content provision and  (e) testing and evaluation for the No. 10 Downing Street website in each of the last three years; and what budget has been allocated for such activity in 2009-10.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 17 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1135W, and to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1482W.
	It is not possible to provide a single comparable figure for the running costs of the No. 10 website for 2008-09. However, the total cost of the Digital Communications Unit, which includes the operational and staffing costs, including equipment and audio and visual production associated with all digital communications, was £452,754 for the financial year 2008-09. This includes the running costs of the number10.gov.uk website which serves up to 1 million unique users per month, the Prime Minister's communications on channels such as Twitter (1.6 million followers) and YouTube (1.4 million film views per year); and the Government's e-petitions service (3 million signatures from 1.8 million unique e-mail addresses per year).
	Figures for the 2009-10 financial year will be available only when the Department's resource accounts have been fully audited and laid before Parliament.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for how long records of visitors to the Downing Street/Cabinet Office complex are retained.

Tessa Jowell: Records of visitors to the Downing street/Cabinet Office are currently retained for a maximum period of 10 years for operational/security purposes.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much her Department spent on its recent event held on HMS Illustrious; and how many staff from her Department attended the event.

Angela Smith: A search of all available records has been unable to identify any events held by Cabinet Office staff on HMS Illustrious.

Newspaper Licensing Agency

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what payments were made to the Newspaper Licensing Agency in respect of the provision of services to the Leader of the House's Office in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: Since 2006-07 the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons has not made any payments to the Newspaper Licensing Agency.
	Following a machinery of government change, information relating to expenditure incurred by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons prior to 2006-07 is available at only disproportionate cost.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Adult Education

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people  (a) started and  (b) completed a course at an adult education college in each of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: Adult education colleges are not specifically identified in data collected centrally. Programmes are delivered through a variety of different provider types.
	The following table shows the number of adults participating and achieving in LSC-funded further education (FE colleges including Learn Direct, adult and community learning, work-based learning, Train to Gain) in each of the last five years, 2004/05 to 2008/09 (provisional).
	
		
			  Adult (19+) participation and achievement in FE and skills 
			   2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09 
			  Total Learners Participating 4,669,100 3,983,800 3,206,400 3,306,000 3,697,200 
			 Below Level 2 (excluding Skills for Life) 2,097,300 1,031,800 589,500 532,500 427,000 
			 Skills for Life 940,100 979,400 809,900 826,500 938,700 
			 Full Level 2 395,000 441,300 516,300 740,100 959,400 
			 Full Level 3 228,700 264,200 267,600 328,100 423,300 
			 Level 2 1,348,700 1,235,300 1,118,400 1,319,400 1,542,600 
			 Level 3 598,700 524,900 485,800 528,200 619,300 
			 Level 4+ 73,000 68,300 59,900 53,200 57,700 
			 No Level Assigned 610,800 1,050,300 842,300 803,600 862,600 
			   
			  Total Learners Achieving 3,347,400 2,931,400 2,233,100 2,243,600 2,435,500 
			 Below Level 2 (excluding Skills for Life) 1,551,600 758,100 430,200 406,500 317,500 
			 Skills for Life 690,100 737,800 540,900 520,700 620,900 
			 Full Level 2 179,200 216,500 235,600 320,300 491,600 
			 Full Level 3 79,500 110,000 115,000 134,400 169,300 
			 Level 2 785,100 759,200 660,600 734,700 895,500 
			 Level 3 311,800 285,600 271,400 285,600 312,100 
			 Level 4+ 33,100 33,100 30,300 25,800 26,700 
			 No Level Assigned 512,800 866,600 689,700 682,800 652,800 
			 (1) Provisional  Notes: 1. Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Figures for 2008/09 are not directly comparable to earlier years as the introduction of demand led funding has changed how data is collected and how funded learners are defined from 2008/09 onwards. More information on demand led funding is available at http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/funding-policy/demand-led-funding.htm 3. Tables use age as at 31 August of the academic year. 4. Full-year numbers are a count of the number of learners that participated/achieved at any point during the year. Learners undertaking/achieving more than one course will appear only once in the 'total learners' category for each data collection. However, learners that are included in different data collections, whether that relates to different years or different funding streams, will be counted more than once. All learners undertaking/achieving a full level 2 or 3 qualification will also appear in the level 2 or level 3 category, respectively.  Source: Individualised Learner Record

Blaydon

David Anderson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to Blaydon constituency, the effects on Blaydon of the policies and actions of his Department and its predecessors since 2000.

Patrick McFadden: Since 2000, the policies and actions of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), and its predecessors have focused on building a competitive economy and on delivering prosperity and sustainable economic growth. Examples of how BIS policies and actions have impacted on Blaydon include:
	The levels of skills levels in the Blaydon constituency have increased significantly since 2000, with the proportion of people qualified to at least NVQ level 4 has risen from 15.4 per cent. to 24.7per cent. -an increase of over 60 per cent. Over the same period performance has increased from 77.4 per cent. to 82.1 per cent. at NVQ level 1, from 56 per cent. to 69.6 per cent. at NVQ level 2 and from 33.9 per cent. to 44.4 per cent. at NVQ level 3. Furthermore, the proportion of people in the constituency with no recognised skills has fallen from 17.1 per cent. to 11.7 per cent. over the same period.
	 Source
	2009 Annual Population Survey
	Blaydon constituency residents are now also earning considerably more. The average gross full-time weekly earnings in the constituency has risen from £356.10 in 2002 to £457.20 in 2009, an increase of some 28 per cent.
	 Source
	Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Residence-based data

Counterfeit Manufacturing: International Cooperation

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials from  (a) his Department and  (b) the Intellectual Property Office are planning to attend the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiations in Mexico in January 2010.

David Lammy: One official from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) attended the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations in Mexico. The IPO is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and IPO officials represent the UK Government in intellectual property negotiations, including ACTA.
	No other officials from the Department attended the negotiations.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: International Cooperation

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2010,  Official Report, column 402W, on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, on what date  (a) he and  (b) other Ministers last discussed the proceedings of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiations; when he next expects to meet Ministers who have a departmental interest in the negotiations to discuss the agreement's progress to date.

David Lammy: I regularly meet ministerial colleagues to discuss various aspects of my Intellectual Property portfolio. I have not recently met other Ministers to discuss the proceedings of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiations, but relevant Ministers have been kept fully informed and briefed on its progress where necessary.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: International Cooperation

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2010,  Official Report, column 402W, on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, on what date officials in his Department last met their counterparts in other Government Departments to discuss the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Officials in the Department last met their counterparts in other Government Departments to discuss the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement on 26 August 2009. Since this meeting officials in other Departments have been regularly briefed and consulted on the progress of the negotiations. The next meeting is planned for February.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: International Cooperation

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2010,  Official Report, column 402W, on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, what information has been provided to businesses on the negotiations; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The officials have discussed with the European Commission and other member states ways to inform businesses and other interested parties about the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement negotiations. As a result of these discussions, the European Commission held a public consultation meeting on 23 June 2008, with a second meeting on 21 April 2009 and another planned soon. In addition, regular updates, including a summary of key elements under discussion, can be found on the website of the Intellectual Property Office.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: International Cooperation

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2010,  Official Report, column 402W, on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, if he will make it his policy to seek the agreement of his negotiating partners the publication of the latest draft held by his Department of the anti-counterfeiting trade agreement.

David Lammy: It is current UK policy on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement to seek the agreement of our negotiating partners to publish the draft text. However, it is the practice in trade negotiations that working documents are not disclosed without the consent of all the negotiating parties. Not all parties currently agree to the release of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) draft text. My officials continue to press for greater transparency with our negotiating partners.

Departmental Billing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the length of time taken by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies to pay invoices from (i) small and medium-sized enterprises and (ii) all creditors.

Patrick McFadden: The Prime Minister announced in October 2008 that all central Government Departments will aim to pay invoices within 10 days. The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills commenced reporting of 10-day payment performance in November 2008.
	In November 2008, 93.1 per cent. of invoices were paid within 10 days. The latest available data are for December 2009, when 95.8 per cent. of invoices were paid within 10 days. This means that payment performance has increased by 2.7 percentage points over this period.
	We do not differentiate payments by supplier size as we have determined to pay all suppliers within 10 days.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials represented his Department at events abroad in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: The Department does not centrally record numbers or details of officials representing the Department at overseas events. The Department holds information on officials travelling overseas for business but does not specifically relate these costs to events abroad, to obtain this information would entail disproportionate costs.
	The Department publishes details of senior staff on overseas business visits on the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills website at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/about/board/expenses

Educational Institutions

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which  (a) universities and  (b) independent training provider institutions have been visited by Ministers in his Department since it was established.

David Lammy: My noble Friend the Secretary of State has visited the following universities: Loughborough, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment Oxford, Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre Sheffield, Said Business School Oxford, Birkbeck College London, Birmingham, and Imperial College London.
	I have visited the University of Edinburgh, Liverpool John Moores University (twice), University of Liverpool, University of Exeter, Bournemouth University, Birkbeck College London, Middlesex University, Arts University College Bournemouth and St. Mary's University College, London. Overseas I have visited Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, USA), Emory University (Atlanta, USA), Howard University (Washington DC), Columbia University (New York), Kazakh-British Technical University (Almaty, Kazakhstan) and Kazakh National University (Almaty, Kazakhstan).
	My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has visited Swansea University.
	My noble Friend the Minister of State for Trade and Investment has visited the University of Cambridge, Bangor University (in his capacity of Chair of the Council), Judge Business School Cambridge, Royal College of Physicians, London Metropolitan University Business School, University of Sheffield, London Business School, University of Oxford, Loughborough University and University of Nottingham. Overseas he has visited Hong Kong University Business School and Shri Ramdeobaba Kamla Nehru Engineering College (Nagpur, India).
	My noble Friend the Minister of State for Science and Innovation has visited the University of Surrey, University of Leicester, University of Oxford, Imperial College London and University of Cambridge.
	My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Postal Affairs and Employment Relations has visited Thames Valley University, University of Edinburgh, Middlesex University, University of Gloucestershire, University of Bedfordshire, University of Central Lancashire, University of East London and University of Bath.
	My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Regulatory Reform has visited Bristol University.
	BIS Ministers have also made several visits to employer based training facilities that provide a variety of apprenticeships, onsite training provision and accreditation. They also engage regularly with the Association of Learning Providers, the representative body for Independent Training Provider Institutions, including attendance at their recent conference and have committed to speak at their annual conference later in the year.

Fertility: Freedom of Information

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what requests for information on  (a) the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority,  (b) the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990,  (c) reproductive cloning and  (d) stem cell research were made to his Department under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in each year since 2005; and what decision was taken on each such request.

David Lammy: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was created in June 2009 from the merger of the former Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
	A search of all relevant FOI databases for the period was conducted.
	During the period specified, only two FOI requests on topics  (a) to  (d) listed in the PQ have been recorded.
	One request was received by the former DIUS on 10 February 2009. The response was that no information was held.
	One request was received by BIS on 2 September 2009. All information requested was withheld under section 36 (prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs) and s22 (information intended for future publication) of the FOIA.

Fisheries: Compensation

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1142W, on Government departments: accounts, what the nature was of the direction in relation to property and notified regularity and the Icelandic Water Trawlerman Scheme; and if he will place a copy of the letter of direction in the Library.

Patrick McFadden: The direction authorised the then permanent secretary of the then Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to make payments under the latest Icelandic Water Trawlermen scheme, which was subsequently launched in July 2009. I have placed a copy of the direction, which my right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State issued to the then permanent secretary on 6 January 2009, in the Libraries of the House.

Flexible Retirement

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who wish to continue working beyond the existing retirement age.

Patrick McFadden: The age discrimination legislation that we brought into force in 2006 was a significant step in helping older people in the employment market. The age regulations provide for a default retirement age of 65. However, we recognise that many older workers would remain in work past their normal retirement age if given that opportunity and the regulations give them a statutory right to request this opportunity.
	According to the seasonally adjusted Labour Force Survey (LFS) in September to November 2009 12.2 per cent. of people at or above state pension age were in employment and this figure has grown in recent years. Other figures showed that 12.5 per cent. of people of that age were economically active and so were in the labour force. Analysis of the July-September 2009 Labour Force Survey shows that 1.8 per cent. of those who are economically inactive and are above state pension age would like to work.

Further Education: Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will tabulate the adult learner responsive budget in respect of each further education college in England for the years  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Adult Learner Responsive (ALR) budget is one of the funding streams currently supporting learners aged 19 and above across a range of activities, subjects and levels.
	For 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 financial years, the planned total ALR budgets (including employability programmes) were published in the Skills Investment Strategy 2010-11 (November 2009).
	
		
			  Financial Year  Adult learner responsive budget  (£ million) 
			 2008-09 1.66 
			 2009-10 1.75 
			 2010-11 1.78 
		
	
	Spreadsheets detailing allocations of all funding streams, including ALR, to all FE colleges and training organisations for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years are provided on the Learning and Skills Council website under Providers, Funding Policy, and then Allocations:
	www.lsc.gov.uk
	The allocation of the ALR budget (excluding employability programmes) to individual FE colleges for the 2010-11 academic year is currently underway. Initial funding calculations were communicated in January 2010 and provide an indication of the likely level of funding, to inform discussions between Skills Funding Agency account managers and individual FE colleges. After a national moderation process, confirmed allocations will be issued by 31 March.

Google: Copyright

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will hold discussions with his French counterpart on steps which can be taken in cases of alleged breaches of copyright by Google.

David Lammy: I discuss copyright issues regularly with my colleagues in member states and further afield in various forums. However, it would not be appropriate for the Government to intervene or give opinion on specific allegations of copyright infringement, as such considerations are a matter for the courts.

Identity and Passport Service

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether Cabinet Committee MISC 33 has discussed the procurement of the front office identity services subject to the Identity and Passport Service tender notice 2009/S 247-354963.

Patrick McFadden: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when, how often and for how long they meet, is generally not disclosed.

Lord Mandelson

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date Lord Mandelson was appointed a Church Commissioner.

Patrick McFadden: Lord Mandelson was appointed a Church Commissioner on 5 June 2009, when he was appointed Lord President of the Council.

Photography: Government Assistance

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department  (a) has taken in the last 12 months and  (b) plans to take in the next 12 months to assist the photography industry through the recession.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 1 February 2010
	I have been asked to reply.
	Arts Council England supports photography through its regularly funded organisations and its lottery funded Grants for the Arts programme. In 2008-09 Arts Council England's funding to photography regularly funded organisations was £5,426,330. In 2009-10 this increased to £5,591,311 and will increase again in 2010-11 to £5,746,570.
	Additionally, in 2008-09 Arts Council England made 106 photography awards totalling £1,145,574 from the Grants for the Arts programme.
	As a direct response to the impact of the recession on arts organisations, the Arts Council also set up the Sustain Programme. The Photographers' Gallery was awarded £232,000 as part of this scheme.

Post Offices

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on what dates Cabinet Committee MISC 33 has met in the last 12 months; which additional Government services have been awarded to Post Office Limited as a result of that Committee's activity; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when, how often and for how long they meet, is generally not disclosed.
	The Government have demonstrated their commitment to putting business through the Post Office. The decision to award the Post Office a new contract for the Post Office Card Account, the decision by the DVLA to award the Post Office the contract for biometric data capture for the 10-year renewal of driving licences, the decision by UK Borders Agency to allow biometric enrolment for ID cards for foreign nationals at the Post Office, and the recent joint BIS/Post Office/Local Government Association conference on encouraging local authorities to make greater use of Post Office services, all demonstrate this commitment.

Post Offices

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent guidance his Department has issued on the  (a) requirement for Government departments to put out to public tender contracts that could be awarded to Post Office Limited and  (b) grounds on which the award of such a contract is to be considered; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The Department is subject to the legislative and best practice frameworks applying to public sector procurement and would conduct any procurement activity accordingly.
	No specific guidance has been issued to other Departments on tendering contracts that could be awarded to Post Office Ltd.
	The grounds of award of any contract will differ on a case by case basis but would be governed by the need to meet our legal duties relating to competition and the requirement to deliver best value for money to the taxpayer.

Postal Services Sector Review

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations his Department has received on the Hooper report on the postal services sector.

Patrick McFadden: The Department met a range of stakeholders about the Hooper report. The general consensus of stakeholders was that Royal Mail must modernise if it is to secure its future and that the Hooper report's package of recommendations would secure the universal postal service.
	The Government remain committed to the package of measures proposed by Hooper and we believe that this continues to offer the best prospect for achieving change and modernisation in Royal Mail.
	Market conditions have made it impossible to conclude the process to identify a minority strategic partner for Royal Mail on terms that we could be confident would secure value for the taxpayer. When market conditions improve we will return to the issue, and we continue to monitor these conditions.

Royal Mail: Pensions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions his Department has had with the Communication Workers Union on Royal Mail's pensions deficit.

Patrick McFadden: The Department has meetings with representatives of the Communication Workers Union on a regular basis at which a range of issues are discussed, including Royal Mail pensions.

Students: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many individual applications for disabled students allowance have been made in the academic year 2009-10; and how many and what proportion of the received applications have  (a) been processed and  (b) resulted in an award being paid to the applicant on time;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of applications for disabled students allowance made in the 2009-10 academic year which  (a) had not been reviewed and  (b) were still pending a decision about an award on 1 December 2009;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer to Lord Addington of 5 November 2009,  Official Report, House of Lords, column 372, on disabled people: student loans, when he expects the Student Loans Company to complete its review into delays in providing financial support to disabled students in the academic year 2009-10; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the completed review.

David Lammy: holding answer 15 December 2009
	I am advised by the Student Loans Company that, as at 25 January 2010, 19,224 applications had been made for Disabled Students' Allowance (DSAs) for academic year 2009-10.
	Of these: 1,361 (7 per cent.) were received in the last three weeks and SLC is working though them to carry out an initial assessment of evidence of the applicant's disability, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty, to confirm their eligibility for DSA support; 5,179 (27 per cent.) are awaiting the result of an assessment at a specialist independent assessment centre to determine the specific help the applicant needs to undertake their higher education course; for 1,662 cases (9 per cent.) SLC is considering completed needs assessment reports; in 4,297 (22 per cent.) cases further information has been requested from the applicant; 218 applications (1 per cent.) were ineligible; payments have been made on 5,642 applications (29 per cent.) and for the remaining 865 (4 per cent.), payment will be made to the student once the necessary equipment or support has been procured and an invoice sent to SLC.
	The percentage figures have been rounded to the nearest 1 per cent.. The total may not add to 100 per cent. due to rounding.
	I refer you to my written ministerial statement to the House on 8 December. The report and statement can be found at the following URL:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/hopkin

Thanet

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to South Thanet constituency, the effects on South Thanet of the policies and actions of his Department and its predecessors since 2000.

Patrick McFadden: Since 2000, the policies and actions of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (and its predecessors) have focused on building a competitive economy and on delivering prosperity and sustainable economic growth. The implementation of BIS policy in Thanet, has been taken forward primarily by SEEDA and GOSE, working in partnership with the local authority and other relevant bodies.
	There are no data on South Thanet as it is not a local authority and consists of a number of wards. Data for Thanet have been used to respond to this question.
	Examples of how BIS policies and actions have impacted on Thanet include:
	The stock of VAT registered businesses has increased from 2,420 businesses in 2000 to 2,835 businesses in 2007(1).
	The proportion of business registrations (including VAT and PAYE) per 10,000 resident population aged 16 and above has increased from 40.6 in 2002 to 48.4 in 2008.(2)
	The number of business creation has also increased from 415 new businesses registering for VAT and/or PAYE in 2002 to 425 in 2008.(3)
	The percentage of small businesses showing growth in employment has increased from 10.27 per cent. in 2003 to 13.78 per cent. in 2008.(4)
	Levels of skills have changed in Thanet since 2001(5).
	Performance at level 2 has increased from 57.5 per cent. to 58.7 per cent.
	Performance at level 3 has decreased from 41.0 per cent. to 36.7 per cent.
	Performance at level 4 has decreased from 23.0 per cent. to 19.2 per cent.
	Specific data for South Thanet(6).
	Between 2000 and 2008 the number of businesses units in the constituency of South Thanet increased by 600, which represents a 25 per cent. increase in business stock. This compares to an increase of just 14 per cent. in the South East as a whole over the same period.
	Between 2000 and 2008 employment (excluding self employment) within South Thanet increased by 5,180, or 20 per cent., while in the South East as a whole employment grew by just 3 per cent. in the same period.
	For further information on South Thanet specifically, the Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at
	http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/
	(1) Extracted from NOMIS, source: BERR-VAT registrations/de-registrations by industry.
	(2 )Data produced by BIS and available on the BIS website:
	http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/national_indicators/index.htm
	(3) As above.
	(4) As above.
	(5) APS-Annual Population Survey data. The data on skills levels is subject to large confidence intervals at district level and shows variation on a year to year basis.
	(6) Annual Business Inquiry 2008.

Unemployment: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of unemployed graduates of universities in Leeds who have received assistance from the Flying Start initiative in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Lammy: The Flying Start - Make it Happen (MIH) initiative launched in September 2009 and delivered by the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship has so far had registrations from 202 graduates from the University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University. 137 of these graduates have attended Make it Happen events in the area and 55 of these have pledged to start the self-employment and business start-up follow-on programmes.
	No estimate can be made on the proportion of unemployed graduates receiving assistance from the Initiative until July 2010 when the Destination of Leavers in Higher Education survey results are published.

TREASURY

Capital Gains Tax

Chloe Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the revenue gain to the Exchequer of raising the rate of capital gains tax  (a) for individuals from 18 per cent. to an individual's marginal income tax rate and  (b) to 40 per cent. for trusts (i) while retaining entrepreneurs' relief in its current form and reintroducing indexation for inflation from March 1998 and (ii) while retaining entrepreneur's relief in each fiscal year from 2010-11 to 2013-14; how the estimated revenue gain to the Exchequer is distributed between (A) financial assets, (B) agricultural land and buildings, (C) commercial and industrial land and buildings, (D) residential land and buildings and (E) other non-financial assets in each year; and how the estimated revenue gain to the Exchequer is distributed between different marginal tax rates in each of those years.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 28 January 2010
	 No such estimate has been made.
	Due to the difficulties of assessing the large behavioural responses, which would result from changes of this kind, a reliable estimate can be determined only at disproportionate cost.

Economic and Monetary Union

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the Standing Committee on Preparations for the Euro last met.

Ian Pearson: The last meeting of the Standing Committee on Preparations for the Euro took place on 16 July 2004.

Government Departments: Aviation

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 11 November 2009,  Official Report, column 589W, on the Government Air Programme, what the provisional, estimated amount is that will be spent on domestic flights per year under the Framework Agreement; and how many flights that will entail.

Ian Pearson: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1346W.
	Data on volumes and the performance of the Government Air Programme is not available until the end of the financial year 2009-10.

Income Tax

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the additional amount of revenue that would be raised in 2010-11 if higher rate income tax pension relief was abolished.

Stephen Timms: Latest detailed estimates of the annual cost of tax relief in relation to registered pension schemes are available in Table 7.9 on HM Revenue and Customs' website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/pensions/menu.htm
	If relief on pension contributions were constrained to the basic rate of tax, the amount of this relief would fall by one third.
	The estimates do not account for behavioural effects, which are likely to be large.

Lehman Brothers: Insolvency

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether  (a) he,  (b) his Department or  (c) his Department's agencies have made representations to the US administration on the return to Lehman Brothers UK of its (i) funds and (ii) assets transferred to the US.

Stephen Timms: The administration of the Lehman Brothers group, including its UK and US subsidiaries, is a matter for the courts and the court-appointed administrators in the relevant jurisdictions. It would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in independent, court-governed proceedings such as these. Where UK-based creditors have a claim against any part of the Lehman Brothers group, it is appropriate for them to present this claim to the administrators of the relevant entity in the appropriate jurisdiction.

Non-domestic Rates: Aerials

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 7 July 2009,  Official Report, column 779W, on non-domestic rates, how many mobile telephone masts were on the Rating List in each local authority area in 1997.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 January 2010,  Official Report, column 1146W.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the National Insurance and pay-as-you-earn system to be completed; what the project's initial cost was; and what its final cost is expected to be.

Stephen Timms: The last major IT release for the National Insurance and PAYE Service (NPS) will take place on 6 April 2010.
	The original business case for the programme responsible for the delivery of NPS was produced in January 2007. This estimated the programme's cost at £262 million over the period 2004 to 2014, delivering estimated efficiency savings of £399 million.
	Since 2007 there have been significant changes in the scope and delivery timeline of the programme including major changes to meet the latest security requirements. The overall cost of the programme is currently estimated at £397 million, covering the period from the start of the programme in 2004 to 2015, delivering estimated efficiency savings of £546 million over the same period. The programme's cost and efficiency savings estimates will be updated once delivery is complete.

Revenue and Customs: Redundancy

David Curry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of people likely to accept a voluntary redundancy package as part of HM Revenue and Customs' redundancy programme; and what estimate he has made of the likely average cost per individual entitlement.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 29 January 2010
	On 13 January 2010 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced the next stage of its Workforce Change programme, which has been running since 2006. The announcement confirmed that HMRC will be vacating 130 offices during the 2010-11 financial year.
	The 1,700 surplus staff in these offices who have not yet found alternative posts are now eligible to be considered for voluntary redundancy on compulsory terms; the best terms available under the Civil Service Compensation Scheme. Individual financial entitlement is dependent upon pay, grade and time in service. Whether an individual decides to accept these terms is a personal decision for them to make; an average cannot be calculated until these decisions have been made.
	HMRC remains committed to avoiding compulsory redundancies wherever possible and will make every effort to redeploy people who wish to remain in the Department.

Valuation Office: Contracts

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what suppliers provided goods and services to the Valuation Office Agency in 2008-09.

Ian Pearson: A list of suppliers who provided goods and services to the Valuation Office Agency in 2008-09 will be placed in the Library of the House.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes were purchased under the  (a) HomeBuy Direct,  (b) New Build HomeBuy,  (c) Open Market HomeBuy, (d) First Time Buyer's Initiative and  (e) Social HomeBuy in each region in each year since 2005.

John Healey: The following tables are a breakdown of purchases from 2005-06 to 2008-09.
	
		
			  2005-06 
			   New Build HomeBuy  Open Market HomeBuy  FTBI  SHB 
			 Eastern 961 0 0 0 
			 East Midlands 831 0 0 0 
			 London 1,971 0 0 0 
			 North East 139 0 0 0 
			 North West 550 0 0 0 
			 South East 2,327 0 0 0 
			 South West 929 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands 785 0 0 0 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 221 0 0 0 
			 Total: 8,714 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  2006-07 
			   New Build HomeBuy  Open Market HomeBuy  FTBI  SHB 
			 Eastern 1,211 277 0 - 
			 East Midlands 810 52 0 3 
			 London 3,549 988 10 24 
			 North East 100 0 0 2 
			 North West 724 65 0 4 
			 South East 2,844 873 6 2 
			 South West 825 84 0  
			 West Midlands 651 137 7  
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 303
			 the Humber  31 0 12 
			 Total 11,017 2,507 23 47 
		
	
	
		
			  2007-08 
			   New Build HomeBuy  Open Market Homebuy  FTBI  SHB 
			 Eastern 1,770 455 0 4 
			 East Midlands 1,301 70 41 2 
			 London 4,786 627 149 76 
			 North East 106 12 52 7 
			 North West 905 190 24 34 
			 South East 2,963 935 242 20 
			 South West 1,317 345 95 2 
			 West Midlands 1,339 145 124 6 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 393 97 92 6 
			 Total 14,880 2,876 819 157 
		
	
	
		
			  200 8-09 
			   New Build HomeBuy  Open Market Homebuy  FTBI  SHB 
			 Eastern 1,106 1,011 29 2 
			 East Midlands 982 250 138 - 
			 London 3,755 1,424 225 38 
			 North East 203 31 178 7 
			 North West 762 256 13 23 
			 South East 2,451 1,804 191 10 
			 South West 1,177 719 190 - 
			 West Midlands 971 426 88 12 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 413 295 19 1 
			 Total 11,820 6,216 1,071 93 
		
	
	For New Build HomeBuy the table shows completions of homes built, as the F1CA holds information on completions and not purchases. The first HomeBuy Direct sales were from April 2009.

Building Alterations: Castle Point

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to ensure the appropriate expenditure by Castle Point local authority of funds for independent living adaptations and equipment; if he will visit Castle Point constituency for that purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: All local authorities, including Castle Point borough council, are required to complete an annual claim and monitoring form to the Department and maintain financial records which are subject to auditing requirements for disabled facilities grants. In fulfilling the audit requirements local authorities have to be able to document that they have spent the grant appropriately.

Building Alterations: Finance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities which exhausted their allocated funds for independent living adaptations and equipment within a 12 month period in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Buildings: Energy

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what percentage of properties entered onto the non-domestic Energy Performance Certificate database to date have had an energy banding of G.

John Healey: Up to and including 2 February 2010 there have been 13,381 properties that have had Band G rated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) lodged on the Non-Domestic EPC Register. This equates to 9.25 per cent. of the total non domestic EPCs lodged.

Council Tax: Students

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that students undertaking the National Day Nursery Association Early Years Professional Status full-time Pathway training course in partnership with the Open University are exempted from liability for council tax; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: Full-time students are exempted from council tax liability and are disregarded in the calculation of the liability of the council tax payers with whom they live. It is for the relevant billing authority to decide whether an individual qualifies for the disregard and exemption. The Government do not intend to make special provisions for students undertaking the National Day Nursery Association Early Years Professional Status Full-time Pathway training course.

Departmental Consultants

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much consultants employed by his Department and its agencies have been paid  (a) in total and  (b) in reimbursable expenses in each of the last 10 years.

Barbara Follett: Figures for  (a) the amount the Department has spent on consultancy can be found in its published reports for the last three years here:
	For 2006-07 spend (contained in chapter 10, table 4-page 115)
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/2007-annual-report.pdf
	For 2007-08 spend (contained in chapter 10, table 5-page 141)
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/05.pdf
	For 2008-09 spend (contained in chapter 10, table 13-page 165)
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1281142.pdf
	Figures for earlier years could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	The amounts paid in  (b) reimbursable expenses could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department's agencies report the following expenditure on consultants:
	
		
			  £ 
			  FY  Planning Inspectorate  QEII Conference Centre  Fire Service College 
			 2008-09 1,173,485 206,432 821,774 
			 2007-08 1,351,804 123,196 942,487 
			 2006-07 1,604,378 173,549 1,444,602 
			 2005-06 3,272,864 184,245 1,293,929 
			 2004-05 2,824,952 97,782 1,224,406 
			 2003-04 2,892,751 190,116 235,523 
			 2002-03 3,774,926 38,499 75,616 
			 2001-02 3,463,951 144,245 121,786 
			 2000-01 1,453,263 81,448 77,696 
		
	
	Reimbursable expenses and these could be identified only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on  (a) new furnishings,  (b) works of art and  (c) new vehicles in each of the last three years.

Barbara Follett: The Department has spent the following on new furnishings:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 461,611 
			 2008-09 504,003 
			 2009-10 1,487,482 
		
	
	This is part of Open Space Works and Spaceflex projects which moves Communities and Local Government staff from two buildings into one, enabling savings of £4.5 million per annum on reduced operating costs.
	The Department for Communities and local Government has not incurred expenditure on works of art in the last three years. Works of art displayed in Eland House are on loan from the Government Art Collection (GAC), which publishes an annual list of acquisitions.
	The Department has not purchased any new vehicles in the last three years.

Empty Property

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which 20 local authorities have the highest level of  (a) long-term empty social housing and  (b) long-term empty private housing.

Ian Austin: The term social housing has been interpreted as social rented dwellings let by local authorities or registered social landlords. The term long-term empty has been interpreted as dwellings that have been vacant for more than six months.
	Figures for the 20 local authorities with the highest proportion of social rented dwellings which are long-term vacant are shown in the following tables.
	Estimates of the proportion of private dwellings which are long term vacant are not available. Figures for the 20 local authorities with the highest proportion of dwellings across all tenures which are long term vacant are shown in the tables. The reasons for homes becoming and remaining vacant are varied ranging from an over supply of accommodation, the redevelopment of an area to the standard of accommodation and in some circumstances individual failure to maintain a property in good repair. Numbers of empty properties within local authorities should not therefore be seen as a reflection of the approach adopted by local authorities to tackle these issues.
	
		
			  Local authorities with the highest percentage of long-term empty social sector dwellings 
			  Local authority  Social dwelling stock  Social long-term vacants  Social long-term vacants as percentage of social dwelling stock 
			 Middlesbrough UA 15,528 704 4.5 
			 Walsall 26,634 831 3.1 
			 Oldham 20,044 572 2.9 
			 Redcar and Cleveland UA 12,390 332 2.7 
			 Sunderland 34,048 892 2.6 
			 Knowsley 18,198 448 2.5 
			 Havering 12,901 304 2.4 
			 Kingston upon Hull UA 34,475 780 2.3 
			 Liverpool 55,197 1,192 2.2 
			 Hackney 41,767 878 2.1 
			 Newham 29,311 605 2.1 
			 Hyndburn 4,825 99 2.1 
			 Copeland 6,435 122 1.9 
			 Mansfield 8,750 163 1.9 
			 Teesdale 688 12 1.7 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 36,697 596 1.6 
			 Bradford 31,896 497 1.6 
			 North East Lincolnshire UA 10,271 158 1.5 
			 Hartlepool UA 9,681 147 1.5 
			 Cheltenham 6,746 102 1.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Local authorities with the highest percentage of long-term empty dwellings 
			  Local authority  Total dwelling stock  Total long term vacants  Total long term vacants as percentage of total dwelling stock 
			 Pendle 39,614 2,196 5.5 
			 Manchester 213,965 10,972 5.1 
			 Salford 104,325 3,960 3.8 
			 Teesdale 11,797 446 3.8 
			 Durham City 38,961 1,461 3.7 
			 Liverpool 212,359 7,571 3.6 
			 Burnley 40,585 1,427 3.5 
			 Bradford 204,893 7,068 3.4 
			 Hyndburn 36,319 1,246 3.4 
			 Wear Valley 30,346 990 3.3 
			 Calderdale 91,719 2,986 3.3 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 33,130 933 2.8 
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 59,495 1,657 2.8 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 14,171 391 2.8 
			 Bolton 119,254 3,289 2.8 
			 Oldham 92,639 2,440 2.6 
			 Derwentside 41,516 1,086 2.6 
			 Macclesfield 70,509 1,844 2.6 
			 Hackney 96,596 2,467 2.6 
			 West Lindsey 39,521 1,001 2.5 
			  Sources: Total vacants: Council Taxbase and Council Taxbase Supplementary (CTB1 and CTB1S) returns from local authorities for October 2008. Local authority: Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) and Business Plan Statistical Appendix (BPSA) submitted to Communities and Local Government by local authorities for 1 April 2008. RSL: Regulatory Statistical Return (RSR) as reported to the Housing Corporation by registered social landlords for 31 March 2008.

Housing: Prices

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the ratio of lower quintile house prices to lower quintile earnings was in 2009.

Ian Austin: The ratio of lower quintile house prices to lower quintile earnings in England in 2009 was 6.18, its lowest level in five years.
	 Source:
	Land Registry and the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ONS)

Local Strategic Partnerships: Members

Jacqui Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many boards of local strategic partnerships hon. Members are represented.

Barbara Follett: Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) are groups of local organisations and their representatives which come together voluntarily to work in partnership for the benefit of the communities they serve.
	A Survey of Local Strategic Partnerships conducted in 2008 reported that 50 per cent. are chaired by either the council leader or executive mayor and a further 6 per cent. by a councillor who is a member of a local authority executive (cabinet).
	Local authority executive councillors were reported as being members on 94 per cent. of LSPs and non-executive councillors on 43 per cent. The survey also reported that 10 per cent. of LSPs included Members of Parliament or Members of the European Parliament.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent by his Department on the Mortgage Rescue Scheme at the latest date for which figures are available.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency will report spend through the Mortgage Rescue scheme in the normal way in their annual report for 2009-10.

Non-domestic Rates: Garages and Petrol Stations

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties there were to which rateable values for petrol retail outlets applied in  (a) in 1990,  (b) 2000 and  (c) 2008.

Barbara Follett: There were 9,860 petrol filling stations in the rating lists for England as at 1 April 2000 and 6,040 in the rating lists as at 1 April 2008. Figures for 1990 are unavailable. These figures include all property recorded as petrol filling stations using VOA Special Category (SCAT) Code 209. It is not possible to identify and include in the figures hypermarkets and other properties retailing petrol. These are recorded under other SCAT codes. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	The data for 1 April 2000 has been taken from the Valuation Office Agency operational database.

Non-domestic Rates: Garages and Petrol Stations

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the economic effects of the 2010 business rates revaluation on the network of independent petrol filling stations.

Barbara Follett: As no decisions were required to proceed with revaluation 2010, no formal impact assessment has been prepared on its impact upon any specific sector. However, an impact assessment on the transitional arrangements for revaluation 2010 was published in July 2009.
	In addition, ratepayers have received summary valuation information about their properties from the Valuation Office Agency. From 1 October 2009, ratepayers have been able to put their new rateable values into the business rates calculator on the Business Link website to see the impact of the revaluation for their property.
	The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and the 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government. Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation.
	In the last five years, alongside rising petrol prices and increasing turnover, the rents paid on many petrol filling stations has grown. It is only fair to all ratepayers this is reflected in rate bills. The Government have put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on business properties facing increases.

Non-domestic Rates: Garages and Petrol Stations

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make his policy to postpone the implementation of the 2010 business rates revaluation for petrol filling stations.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 28 January 2010
	 We have no plans to postpone the revaluation for petrol filling stations or any other class of property. The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more and will not raise a single extra penny for Government. Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation.
	In the last five years, alongside rising petrol prices and increasing turnover, the rents paid on many petrol filling stations has grown. It is only fair to all ratepayers this is reflected in rate bills. The Government have put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases, which in 2010-11 will ensure no business property sees its rates bill increase by more than 11 per cent. as a result of the revaluation, with maximum increases capped at just 3.5 per cent. for small properties. That is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.

Planning Permission

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2010 to Question 314719, how long elapsed between issuing an Article 14 Direction and announcing his decision on whether or not to call in the application on each occasion where he has issued an Article 14 Direction  (a) in each of the last five years,  (b) in respect of airport-related cases and  (c) in cases subsequently called in.

John Healey: As set out in my answer of 1 February,  Official Report, columns 11-12W a total of 878 Article 14 Directions were issued over the period from 1 January 2005 to 31 January 2010. Listing the time period for each application between issuing the Article 14 Direction and the decision on call-in can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The following tables summarise the information requested regarding the 4 airport-related cases and the 128 cases subsequently called-in:
	
		
			  Airport cases( 1) 
			   Shortest time taken between issuing Article 14 Direction and call- in (calendar days)  Longest time taken between issuing Article 14 Direction and call- in (calendar days)  Average time taken between issuing Article 14 Direction and call- in (calendar days) 
			 2005 2- - - 
			 2006 - - - 
			 2007 28 28 28 
			 2008 28 28 28 
			 2009(3) 32 32 32 
			 (1) Excluding one case for which an Article 14 Direction has been issued but no decision has yet been taken on call-in. (2) No cases 3 To 31 January 2010 
		
	
	
		
			  All cases which were subsequently called in 
			   Shortest time taken between issuing Article 14 Direction and call- in (calendar days)  Longest time taken between issuing Article 14 Direction and call- in (calendar days)  Average time taken between issuing Article 14 Direction and call- in (calendar days) 
			 2005 (1)0 334 83 
			 2006 2 147 51 
			 2007 3 113 43 
			 2008 3 73 41 
			 2009(2) 1 133 38 
			 1 Same day 2 To 31 January 2010

Property Development

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of permits that have been issued for building development on agricultural land in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: Information on the number of permits issued for building development on agricultural land is not held centrally.

Sustainable Communities Act 2007

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he will make a final decision on the 199 proposals shortlisted by the Local Government Association under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 sent to him on 22 December 2009.

Barbara Follett: The Government are consulting the Local Government Association in its role as selector under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 and are seeking to reach agreement on which of the 199 short-listed proposals should be implemented. Many of the proposals are complex and raise significant practical issues but the Government are anxious to make progress as quickly as possible on those proposals that offer practical benefits and new ways of meeting local needs.

Working Neighbourhoods Fund: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress he has made in his assessment of the effectiveness of the use of the Working Neighbourhoods Fund in Birmingham.

Rosie Winterton: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received a report from the regional director of the Government office for the west midlands, outlining the ways in which Birmingham intend to improve their delivery of the Working Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF) programme.
	Improvements are being made but we still have concerns over the pace of the delivery of WNF programmes. The Secretary of State has written to the chair of Birmingham's LSP saying that issues that are impeding the delivery of WNF projects need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. We are determined that that the people of Birmingham should not be penalised for slow action by their local authority.
	A further report on Birmingham and WNF will be provided to the Secretary of State in March.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Iraq

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports his predecessor received on resolutions proposed in the Italian Senate in  (a) 2002 and  (b) 2003 recommending the exile from Iraq of Suddam Hussain; what steps his Department took in consequence; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 2 February 2010
	We have no record of my right hon. Friend Jack Straw having received specific reports on Resolutions by the Italian Senate concerning the possible exile of Saddam Hussein. This is however likely to have been part of the routine political reporting from our embassy in Rome. Chapter VII of the Charter of the UN provides that the Security Council shall decide what measures are to be taken to maintain or restore international peace and security.

Pitcairn Islands

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions he has visited the Pitcairn Islands on official business in the last five years.

Chris Bryant: No Minister has visited in the last five years.